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UNIVERSITY  OF  N.C.  AT  CHAPEL  HILL 


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A  4 


Thirty  Years  a  Slave 


From  Bondage  to  Freedom, 


THE  INSTITUTION  OF  SLAVERY 

AS  SEEN  ON  THE  PLANTATION  *N0 

IN  THE  HOME  OF  THE  PLANTER. 


AUTOBIOGRAPHY  OF  LOUIS  HUGHES, 


<r 


MILWAUKEE  : 

South  Side  Printing  Company, 

1897. 


0f»40fW/c 


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4r~. .,  ttW^, 


COPYRIGHT, 
1896. 


PREFACE. 

The  institution  of  human  slavery,  as  it  existed  in 
this  country,  has  long-  been  dead;  and,  happily  for  all 
the  sacred  interests  which  it  assailed,  there  is  for  it 
no  resurrection.  It  may,  therefore,  be  asked  to  what 
purpose  is  the  story  which  follows,  of  the  experiences 
of  one  person  under  that  dead  and  accursed  institution? 
To  such  question,  if  it  be  asked,  it  may  be  answered 
that  the  narrator  presents  his  story  in  compliance 
with  the  suggestion  of  friends,  and  in  the  hope  that 
it  may  add  something  of  accurate  information  regard- 
ing the  character  and  influence  of  an  institution 
which  for  two  hundred  years  dominated  the  country — 
exercising  a  potent  but  baneful  influence  in  the 
formation  of  its  social,  civil  and  industrial  structures, 
and  which  finally  plunged  it  into  the  most  stupendous 
civil  war  which  the  world  has  ever  known.  As  the 
enlightenment  of  each  generation  depends  upon  the 
thoughtful  study  of  the  history  of  those  that  have 
gone  before,  eve^thing  which  tends  to  fullness  and 
accuracy  in  that  history  is  of  value,  even  though  it  be 
not  presented  with  the  adjuncts  of  literary  adornment, 
or  thrilling-  scenic  effects. 


CHAPTER  I. 
LIFE  ON  A  COTTON  PLANTATION. 

BIRTH — SOLD  IN  A  RICHMOND  SLAVE  PEN. 

I  was  born  in  Virginia,  in  1832,  near  Charlottes- 
ville, in  the  beautiful  valle}r  of  the  Rivanna  river. 
My  father  was  a  white  man  and  my  mother  a  negress, 
the  slave  of  one  John  Martin.  I  was  a  mere  child, 
probably  not  more  than  six  years  of  age,  as  I  remem- 
ber, when  nry  mother,  two  brothers  and  myself  were 
sold  to  Dr.  Louis,  a  practicing-  physician  in  the  village 
of  Scottsville.  We  remained  with  him  about  live 
years,  when  he  died,  and,  in  the  settlement  of  his 
estate,  I  was  sold  to  one  Washington  Fitzpatrick,  a 
merchant  of  the  village.  He  kept  me  a  short  time 
when  he  took  me  to  Richmond,  by  way  of  canal-boat, 
expecting  to  sell  me;  but  as  the  market  was  dull,  he 
brought  me  back  and  kept  me  some  three  months 
longer,  when  he  told  me  he  had  hired  me  out  to  work 
on  a  canal-boat  running  to  Richmond,  and  to  go  to 
m}T  mother  and  get  nry  clothes  ready  to  start  on  the 
trip.     I  went  to  her  as  directed,   and,  when  she  had 


6  THIRTY  YEARS  A  SLAVE. 

made  ready  my  bundle,  she  bade  me  good-by  with 
tears  in  her  eyes,  saying-:  "My  son,'  be  a  good  boy: 
be  polite  to  even*  one,  and  alwa}"s  behave  yourself 
properl}-."  It  was  sad  to  her  to  part  with  me,  though 
she  did  not  know  that  she  was  never  to  see  me  again, 
for  my  master  had  said  nothing  to  her  regarding  his 
purpose  and  she  only  thought,  as  I  did,  that  I  was 
hired  to  work  on  the  canal-boat,  and  that  she  should 
see  me  occasionally.  But  alas!  We  never  met  again. 
I  can  see  her  form  still  as  when  she  bade  me  good-bye. 
That  parting  I  can  never  forget.  I  ran  off  from  her 
as  quickly  as  I  could  after  her  parting  words,  for  I  did 
not  want  her  to  see  me  crying.  I  went  to  my  master 
at  the  store,  and  he  again  told  me  that  he  had  hired 
me  to  work  on  the  canal-boat,  and  to  go  aboard  im- 
mediately. Of  the  boat  and  the  trip  and  the  scenes 
along  the  route  I  remember  little — I  only  thought  of 
my  mother  and  my  leaving  her. 

When  we  arrived  at  Richmond,  George  Pullan,  a 
"nigger-trader,'''  as  he  was  called,  came  to  the  boat 
and  beg-an  to  question  me,  asking  me  first  if  I  could 
remember  having  had  the  chickenpox,  measles  or 
whooping-cough.  I  answered,  yes.  Then  he  asked 
me  if  I  did  not  want  to  take  a  little  walk  with  him. 


LIFE  ON  A  COTTON  PLANTATION.  7 

I  said,  no.  "Well,"  said  he,  "you  have  got  to  go. 
Your  master  sent  you  down  here  to  be  sold,  and  told 
me  to  come  and  get  you  and  take  you  to  the  trader's 
yard,  ready  to  be  sold."  I  saw  that  to  hesitate  was 
useless;  so  I  at  once  obeyed  him  and  went. 

A  SLAVE  MARKET. 

The  trader's  establishment  consisted  of  an  office,  a 
large  show-room  and  a  yard  in  the  rear  enclosed  with 
a  wall  of  brick  fifteen  feet  high.  The  principal  men 
of  the  establishment  were  the  proprietor  and  the  fore- 
man. When  slaves  were  to  be  exhibited  for  sale,  the 
foreman  was  called  to  the  office  by  means  of  a  bell, 
and  an  order  given  him  to  bring  into  the  show-room 
all  the  slaves  in  the  establishment.  This  was  the 
work  of  but  a  few  minutes,  and  the  women  were 
placed  in  a  row  on  one  side  of  the  room  and  the  men 
on  the  other.  Persons  desirous  of  purchasing  them 
passed  up  and  down  between  the  lines  looking  the 
poor  creatures  over,  and  questioning  them  in  about 
the  following  manner:  "  What  can  you  do?"  "Are 
you  a  good  cook  ?  seamstress  ?  danymaid  ?  " — this  to 
the  women,  while  the  men  would  be  questioned  as  to 
their  line  of  work:  "Can  you  plow?  Are  you  a 
blacksmith?     Have  you  ever  cared  for  horses?     Can 


8  THIRTY  YEARS  A  SLAVE. 

you  pick  cotton  rapidly?  "  Sometimes  the  slave  would 
be  required  to  open  his  mouth  that  the  purchaser 
might  examine  the  teeth  and  form  some  opinion  as  to 
his  age  and  ph}-sical  soundness;  and  if  it  was  sus- 
pected that  a  slave  had  been  beaten  a  good  deal  he 
would  be  required  to  step  into  another  room  and  un- 
dress. If  the  person  desiring-  to  buy  found  the  slave 
badly  scarred  by  the  common  usage  of  whipping-,  he 
would  say  at  once  to  the  foreman  :  "  Why!  this  slave 
is  not  worth  much,  he  is  all  scarred  up.  No,  I  don't 
want  him;  bring-  me  in  another  to  look  at."  Slaves 
without  scars  from  whipping-  and  looking-  well  physi- 
sally  always  sold  readil}-.  They  were  never  left  long 
in  the  yard.  It  was  expected  that  all  the  slaves  in  the 
yard  for  sale  would  be  neatly  dressed  and  clean  before 
being-  brought  into  the  show-room.  It  was  the  fore- 
man's business  to  see  that  each  one  was  presentable. 

SLAVE    WHIPPING    AS    A    BUSINESS. 

Whipping  was  done  at  these  markets,  or  trader's 
yards,  all  the  time.  People  who  lived  in  the  city  of 
Richmond  would  send  their  slaves  here  for  punish- 
ment. When  any  one  wanted  a  slave  whipped  he 
would  send  a  note  to  that  effect  with  the  servant  to 
the  trader.     Any  petty  offense  on  the   part  of  a  slave 


LIFE  ON  A  COTTON  PLANTATION, 
was  sufficient  to  subject  the  offender  to  this  brutal 
treatment.  Owners  who  affected  culture  and  refine- 
ment preferred  to  send  a  servant  to  the  yard  for 
punishment  to  inflicting  it  themselves.  It  saved  them 
trouble,  they  said,  and  possibly  a  slight  wear  and  tear 
of  feeling.  For  this  service  the  owner  was  charged  a 
certain  sum  for  each  slave,  and  the  earnings  of  the 
traders  from  this  source  formed  a  very  large  part  of 
the  profits  of  his  business.  The  yard  I  was  in  had  a 
regular  whipping  post  to  which  they  tied  the  slave, 
and  gave  him  "  nine-and-thirty,  "  as  it  was  called, 
meaning  thirty-nine  lashes  as  hard  as  they  could  lay 
it  on.  Men  were  stripped  of  their  shirts  in  prepar- 
ation for  the  whipping,  and  women  had  to  take  off 
their  dresses  from  the  shoulders  to  the  waist.  These 
whippings  were  not  so  severe  as  when  the  slaves  were 
stripped  entirely  of  their  clothes,  as  was  generally  the 
case  on  the  plantations  where  slaves  were  owned  by 
the  dozen.  I  saw  many  cases  of  whipping  while  I 
was  in  the  yard.  Sometimes  I  was  so  frightened  that 
I  trembled  violently,  for  I  had  never  seen  anything 
like  it  before. 

SOLD    IN    THE    MARKET. 

I  was  only  in  the  yard   a  short  time   before  I  was 


10  THIRTY  YEARS  A  SLAVE. 

bought  by  one  George  Reid  who  lived  in  Richmond. 
He  had  no  wife,  but  an  old  lady  kept  house  for  him 
and  his  three  sons.  At  this  time  he  had  a  place  in  the 
postoffice,  but  soon  after  I  came  there  he  lost  it.  He 
then  moved  into  the  country  upon  a  farm  of  about  one 
thousand  acres,  enclosed  by  a  cedar  hedge.  The  house 
was  a  plain  frame  structure  upon  a  stone  basement 
and  contained  four  rooms.  It  was  surrounded  with 
shrubberj',  and  was  a  pleasant  country  seat.  But  I 
did  not  like  it  here.  I  grieved  continually  about  my 
mother.  It  came  to  me,  more  and  more  plainly,  that 
I  would  never  see  her  again.  Young  and  lonely  as  I 
was,  I  could  not  help  crying",  oftentimes  for  hours 
together.  It  was  hard  to  get  used  to  being  awa}r  from 
my  mother.  I  remember  well  "  Aunt  Sylvia,"  who 
was  the  cook  in  the  Reid  household.  She  was  very 
kind  to  me  and  always  spoke  consolingly  to  me,  es- 
pecially if  I  had  been  blue,  and  had  had  one  of 
my  fits  of  crying.  At  these  times  she  would  alwa)Ts 
bake  me  an  ash  cake  for  supper,  saying  to  me  :  "  My 
child,  don't  cry  ;  'Aunt  Sylvia  '  will  look  after  3rou.'' 
This  ash  cake  was  made  of  corn  meal  and  water,  a 
little  salt  to  make  it  palatable,  and  was  baked  by  put- 
ting- it  between  cabbage  leaves  and  covering  it  with 


LIFE  ON  A  COTTON  PLANTATION.  11 

hot  ashes.  A  sweeter  or  more  delicious  cake  one  could 
not  desire,  and  it  was  common  upon  the  tables  of  all 
the  Virginia  farmers.  I  always  considered  it  a  great 
treat  to  get  one  of  these  cakes  from  "Aunt  Sylvia." 

The  appellations  of  "aunt1'  and  "  uncle  "  for  the 
older  slaves  were  not  only  common  among  the  blacks, 
but  the  whites  also  addressed  them  in  the  same  way. 

ON   THE    AUCTION    BLOCK 

I  was  sick  a  great  deal — in  fact,  I  had  suffered  with 
chills  and  fever  ever  since  Mr.  Reid  bought  me.  He, 
therefore,  concluded  to  sell  me,  and,  in  November, 
1844,  he  took  me  back  to  Richmond,  placing  me  in  the 
Exchange  building,  or  auction  rooms,  for  the  sale  of 
slaves.  The  sales  were  carried  on  in  a  large  hall 
where  those  interested  in  the  business  sat  around  a 
large  block  or  stand,  upon  which  the  slave  to  be  sold 
was  placed,  the  auctioneer  standing  beside  him. 
When  I  was  placed  upon  the  block,  a  Mr.  McGee  came 
up  and  felt  of  me  and  asked  me  what  I  could  do. 
"You  look  like  a  right  smart  nigger,"  said  he,  "Vir- 
ginia always  produces  good  darkies."  Virginia  was 
the  mother  of  slavery,  and  it  was  held  by  many  that 
she  had  the  best  slaves.  So  when  Mr.  McGee  found 
I  was  born  and  bred  in  that  state  he  seemed  satisfied. 


12  THIRTY  YEARS  A  SLAVE. 

The  bidding-  commenced,  and  I  remember  well  when 
the  auctioneer  said  :  "  Three  hundred  eighty  dollars 
— once,  twice  and  sold  to  Mr.  Edward  McGee."  He 
was  a  rich  cotton  planter  of  Pontotoc,  Miss.  As  near 
as  I  can  recollect,  I  was  not  more  than  twelve  years  of 
age,  so  did  not  sell  for  very  much. 

PRICE  op  slaves. 
Servant  women  sold  for  .$500  to  $700,  and  some- 
times as  high  as  $800  when  possessing  extra  qualifica- 
tions. A  house  maid,  bright  in  looks,  strong  and 
well  formed,  would  sell  for  $1,000  to  $1,200.  Bright 
mulatto  girls,  well  versed  in  sewing  and  knitting, 
would  sometimes  bring  as  high  as  $1,800,  especially 
if  a  Virginian  or  a  Kentuckian.  Good  blacksmiths 
sold  for  $1,600  to  $1,800.  When  the  slaves  were  put 
upon  the  block  they  were  always  sold  to  the  highest 
bidder.  Mr.  McGee,  or  "Boss,"  as  I  soon  learned  to 
call  him,  bought  sixt}-  other  slaves  before  he  bought 
me,  and  they  were  started  in  a  herd  for  Atlanta,  Ga., 
on  foot. 

STARTED  FOR  A  COTTON  PLANTATION. 

Boss,  myself  and  ten  others  met  them  there.  We 
then  started  for  Pontotoc,  Miss.  On  our  way  we 
stopped  at  Kdenton,  Ga.,  where  Boss  sold  twenty-one 


\ 

LIFE  ON  A  COTTON  PLANTATION.  13 

of  the  sixty  slaves.  We  then  proceeded  on  our  way, 
Boss  by  rail  and  we  on  foot,  or  in  the  wagon.  We 
went  about  twenty  miles  a  day.  I  remember,  as  we 
passed  along-,  every  white  man  we  met  was  yelling-, 
"Hurrah  for  Polk  and  Dallas!"  They  were  feeling 
good,  for  election  had  given  them  the  men  that  they 
wanted.  The  man  who  had  us  in  charge  joined  with 
those  we  met  in  the  hurrahing.  We  were  afraid  to 
ask  them  the  reason  for  their  yelling,  as  that  would 
have  been  regarded  as  an  impertinence,  and  probably 
would  have  caused  us  all  to  be  whipped. 

MY  MISSISSIPPI  HOME. 

I 

At  length,  after  a  long  and  wearisome  journey,  we| 
reached  Pontotoc,   McGee's  home,   on  Christmas  eve. 
Boss  took  me  into  the  house  and  into  the  sitting  room,  \ 
where  all  the  family  were  assembled,   and  presented   \ 
me  as  a  Christmas  gift  to  the  madam,  his  wife. 

My  boss,  as  I  remember  him,  was  a  tall,  raw- 
boned  man,  but  rather  distinguished  in  looks,  with  a 
fine  carriage,  brilliant  in  intellect,  and  considered 
one  of  the  wealthiest  and  most  successful  planters  of 
his  time.  Mrs.  McGee  was  a  handsome,  statel}*  lady,, 
about  thirty  years  of  age,  brunette  in  complexion, 
faultless  in  figure  and  imperious  in  manner.     I  think 

\ 


14  THIRTY  YEARS  A  SLAVE. 

that  they  were  of  Scotch  descent.  There  were  four 
children,  Emma,  Willie,  Johnnie  and  Jimmie.  All 
looked  at  me,  and  thought  I  was  "a  spry  little  fellow." 
I  was  very  shy  and  did  not  say  much,  as  everything 
was  strange  to  me.  I  was  put  to  sleep  that  night  on 
a  pallet  on  the  floor  in  the  dining  room,  using  an  old 
quilt  as  a  covering.  The  next  morning  was  Christ- 
mas, and  it  seemed  to  be  a  custom  to  have  egg-nog 
before  breakfast.  The  process  of  making  this  was 
new  and  interesting  to  me.  I  saw  them  whip  the 
whites  of  eggs,  on  a  platter,  to  a  stiff  froth;  the  yolks 
were  thoroughly  beaten  in  a  large  bowl,  sugar  and 
plenty  of  good  brand}*  were  added,  and  the  whites  of 
the  eggs  and  cream  were  then  stirred  in,  a  little  nut- 
meg grated  on  top  of  each  glass  when  filled  for  serv- 
ing. This  was  a  delicious  drink,  and  the  best  of  all 
was,  there  was  plenty  of  it.  I  served  this  to  all  the 
family,  and,  as  there  were  also  visiting  relatives 
present,  many  glasses  were  required,  and  I  found  the 
tray  so  heav}T  I  could  hardly  carry  it.  I  helped  my- 
self, after  the  service  was  finished,  and  I  was  de- 
lighted, for  I  had  never  tasted  anything  so  fine  before. 
My  boss  told  me  I  was  to  wait  on  the  madam,  do 
any  errand  necessary,   attend  to  the  dining  room — in 


LIFE  ON  A  COTTON  PLANTATION.  15 

fact  I  was  installed  as  general  utility  boy.  It  was 
different  from  the  quiet  manner  of  life  I  had  seen  be- 
fore coming-  here — it  kept  my  spirits  up  for  some  time. 
I  thought  of  my  mother  often,  but  I  was  gradually 
growing  to  the  idea  that  it  was  useless  to  cry,  and  I 
tried  hard  to  overcome  my  feelings. 

PLANTATION  UFE. 

As  already  stated,  it  was  Christmas  morning,  and, 
after  breakfast,  I  saw  the  cook  hurrying,  and  when  I 
went  out  into  the  yard,  everywhere  I  looked  slaves 
met  my  view.  I  never  saw  so  many  slaves  at  one 
time  before.  In  Virginia  we  did  not  have  such  large 
farms.  There  were  no  extensive  cotton  plantations, 
as  in  Mississippi.  I  shall  never  forget  the  dinner 
that  da}' — it  was  a  feast  fit  for  a  king,  so  varied  and 
lavish  was  the  bill  of  fare.  The  next  attraction  for 
me  was  the  farm  hands  getting  their  Christmas  ra- 
tions. Each  was  given  a  pint  of  flour  of  which  they 
made  biscuit,  which  were  called  "Billy  Seldom," 
because  biscuit  were  very  rare  with  them.  Their 
daily  food  was  corn  bread,  which  they  called  "Johnny 
Constant,"  as  they  had  it  constantly.  In  addition  to 
the  flour  each  received  a  piece  of  bacon  or  fat  meat, 
from  which  they  got  the  shortening  for  their  biscuit. 


16  THIRTY  YEARS  A  SLAVE. 

The  crackling's  from  the  rendering-  of  lard  were  also 
used  by  the  slaves  for  shortening.     The  hands  were 
allowed  four  days  off  at  Christmas,  and  if  they  worked 
on   these  days,   as   some  of  them  did,   they  got  fifty 
cents  a  da)7  for  chopping.     It  was  not  common  to  have 
chopping  done  during  the    holidays;    some    planters, 
however,  found  it  convenient  thus  to  get  it  out  of  the 
way  for  the  work  which  came  after  Christmas. 
THE  GREAT  HOUSE. 
I  soon  became  familiar  with  my  work  in  the  house 
and  with  the  neighborhood,   as  I  often  had  to  carry 
notes  for  Boss  to  neighboring  farmers,  as  well  as  to 
carry  the  mail  to  and  from  the  postoffice.    The  "great 
house,1'  as  the  dwelling  of  the  master  was  called,  was 
two    stories    high,    built   of   huge   logs,   chinked  and 
daubed  and  whitewashed.     It  was  divided,  from  front 
to    rear,    by  a  hall  twenty-five  feet  long  and  twelve 
feet  wide,  and  on  each  side  of  the  hall,  in  each  story, 
was  one  large  room  with    a  large  fire-place.     There 
were  but   four   rooms  in  all,    yet  these   were  so  large 
that   they   were  equal  to  at  least  six  of  our  modern 
rooms.     The   kitchen  was   not  attached  to  the  main 
building,  but  was  about  thirty  feet  to  the  rear.     This 
was  the   common   mode  of  building-  in   the  south  in 


LIFE  ON  A  COTTON  PLANTATION.  17 

those  days.  ,  The  two  bedrooms  upstairs  were  very 
plain  in  furnishings,  but  neat  and  comfortable,  judged 
by  the  standard  of  the  times.  A  wing  was  added  to 
the  main  building  for  dining  room.  In  rear  of  the 
kitchen  was  the  milk  or  dairy  house,  and  beyond  this 
the  smoke  house  for  curing  the  meat.  In  line  with 
these  buildings,  and  still  further  to  the  rear,  was  the 
overseer's  house.  Near  the  milk  house  was  a  large 
tree,  and  attached  to  the  trunk  was  a  lever;  and  here 
was  where  the  churning  was  done,  in  which  I  had 
always  to  assist.  This  establishment  will  serve  as  a 
sample  of  many  of  those  on  the  large  plantations  in 
the  south.  The  main  road  from  Pontotoc  to  Holly 
Springs,  one  of  the  great  thoroughfares  of  the  state 
and  a  stage  route,  passed  near  the  house,  and  through 
the  center  of  the  farm.  On  each  side  of  this  road  was 
a  fence,  and  in  the  corners  of  both  fences,  extending 
for  a  mile,  were  planted  peach  trees,  which  bore  ex- 
cellent fruit  in  great  profusion. 

HOUSE  SERVANT  AND  ERRAND  BOY. 

My  first  work  in  the  morning  was  to  dust  the  par- 
lor and  hall  and  arrange  the  dining  room.  It  -came 
awkward  to  me  at  first,  but,  after  the  madam  told  me 
how,    I  soon  learned  to   do  it   satisfactory.     Then  I 


18  THIRTY  YEARS  A  SLAVE. 

had  to  wait  on  the  table,  sweep  the  large  yard  every 
morning-  with  a  brush  broom  and  go  for  the  mail  once 
a  week.  I  used  to  get  very  tired,  for  I  was  young 
and  consequently  not  strong.  Aside  from  these 
things  which  came  regularly,  I  had  to  help  the 
madam  in  warping  the  cloth.  I  dreaded  this  work, 
for  I  alwa3Ts  got  my  ears  boxed  if  I  did  not  or  could 
not  do  the  work  to  suit  her.  She  always  made  the 
warp  herself  and  put  it  in,  and  I  had  to  hand  her  the 
thread  as  she  put  it  through  the  harness.  I  would 
get  very  tired  at  this  work  and,  like  any  child,  wanted 
to  be  at  pla}%  but  I  could  not  remember  that  the 
madam  ever  gave  me  that  privilege.  Saddling  the 
horse  at  first  was  troublesome  to  me,  but  Boss  was 
constant  in  his  efforts  to  teach  me,  and,  after  many 
trials,  I  learned  the  task  satisfactorily  to  the  master 
and  to  bring  the  horse  to  the  door  when  he  wished  to 
go  out  for  business  or  pleasure.  Riding  horseback 
was  common  for  both  ladies  and  gentlemen,  and  some- 
times I  would  have  to  saddle  three  or  more  horses 
when  Boss,  the  madam,  a  friend  or  friends  desired  a 
ride.  Bird  hunting  parties  were  common  and  were 
greatly  enjoyed,  by  the  young  people  especially.  Boss 
always    invited   some    of    the   }roung    people    of    the 


LIFE  ON  A  COTTON  PLANTATION.  19 

neighborhood  to  these  parties  and  they  never  failed  to 
put  in  an  appearance.  Williams,  Bradford  and  Free- 
man were  the  sons  of  rich  planters,  and  were  always 
participants  in  this  sport,  and  their  young- lad}7  friends 
joined  in  it  as  on-lookers.  The  young  men  singing  and 
whistling  to  the  birds,  I  in  the  meantime  setting  the 
net.  As  soon  as  I  had  got  the  net  in  order  they  would 
approach  the  birds  slowly,  driving  them  into  it. 
There  was  great  laughter  and  excitement  if  they  were 
successful  in  catching  a  fine  flock. 

CRUEL  TREATMENT. 
I  was  but  a  lad,  yet  I  can  remember  well  the  cruel 
treatment  I  received.  Some  weeks  it  seemed  I  was 
whipped  for  nothing,  just  to  please  my  mistress' 
fancy.  Once,  when  I  was  sent  to  town  for  the  mail 
and  had  started  back,  it  was  so  dark  and  rainy  my 
horse  got  away  from  me  and  I  had  to  stay  all  night  in 
town.  The  next  morning  when  I  got  back  home  I 
had  a  severe  whipping,  because  the  master  was  ex- 
pecting a  letter  containing  money  and  was  disap- 
pointed in  not  receiving  it  that  night,  as  he  was  going 
to  Panola  to  spend  Christmas.  However,  the  day 
came  and  all  the  family  went  except  me.  During  the 
time  they  were  gone  the  overseer  whipped  a  man  so 


20  THIRTY  YEARvS  A  SLAVE. 

terribly  with  the  "bull  whip"  that  I  had  to  go  for 
the  doctor,  and  when  Dr.  Heningford,  the  regular 
family  pli3'sician,  came,  he  said  it  was  awful — such 
cruel  treatment,  and  he  complained  about  it.  It  was 
common  for  a  slave  to  get  an  "  over-threshing-,"  that 
is,  to  be  whipped  too  much.  The  poor  man  was  cut 
up  so  badly  all  over  that  the  doctor  made  a  bran  poul- 
tice and  wrapped  his  entire  body  in  it.  This  was  done 
to  draw  out  the  inflammation.  It  seems  the  slave 
had  been  sick,  and  had  killed  a  little  pig  when  he  be- 
came well  enough  to  go  to  work,  as  his  appetite 
craved  hearty  food,  and  he  needed  it  to  give  him 
strength  for  his  tasks.  For  this  one  act,  comparatively 
trivial,  he  was  almost  killed.  The  idea  never  seemed 
to  occur  to  the  slave  holders  that  these  slaves  were 
getting  no  wages  for  their  work  and,  therefore,  had 
nothing  with  which  to  procure  what,  at  times,  was 
necessary  for  their  health  and  strength — palatable 
and  nourishing  food.  When  the  slaves  took  anything 
the  masters  called  it  stealing,  yet  they  were  stealing 
the  slaves'  time  year  after  year.  When  Boss  came 
home  he  was  called  on  by  the  town  officials,  for  the 
case  had  been  reported  to  them.  Boss,  however,  got 
out  of  it  by  saying  that  he  was  not  at  home  when  the 


LIFE  ON  A  COTTON  PLANTATION.  21 

trouble  occurred.  The  poor  slave  was  sick  from  his 
ill  treatment  some  four  or  five  months,  and  when  he 
recovered  there  was  a  running-  sore  left  on  his  body, 
from  the  deep  cuts  of  the  whip,  which  never  healed. 
I  can  not  forget  how  he  looked,  the  sore  was  a  sicken- 
ing sight  ;  yet,  when  he  was  able  to  walk  he  had  to 
return  to  work  in  the  field.      / 

I  had  not  been  at  Pontotoc  very  long  when  I  saw 
the  hounds  run  a  slave,  by  name  Ben  Lyon.  "  Old 
Ben,"  as  he  was  called,  ran  away  and  had  been  gone 
a  week  when  he  was  seen  by  a  woman  who  "  told  on 
him,"  and  then  I  was  sent  to  get  the  man  who  had 
trained  dogs,  or  hounds  as  they  were  called.  The 
dogs  ran  the  slave  about  ten  miles  when  they  lost 
track  at  a  creek,  but  he  was  caught  that  night  in  a 
farmer's  house  getting  something  to  eat. 

INSTRUCTIONS    IN    MEDICINE). 

After  some  time,  Boss  began  to  tell  me  the  names 
of  medicines  and  their  properties.  I  liked  this  and 
seemed  to  grasp  the  idea  very  well.  After  giving  me 
a  number  of  names  he  would  make  me  repeat  them. 
Then  he  would  tell  me  the  properties  of  each  medi- 
cine named,  how  it  was  used  and  for  what  purpose 
and  how  much  constituted  a  dose.     He  would  drill  me 


22  THIRTY  YEARS  A  SLAVE. 

in  all  this  until  I  knew  it  and,  in  a  short  time,  he 
would  add  other  names  to  the  list.  He  always  showed 
me  each  medicine  named  and  had  me  smell  and  care- 
fully examine  it  that  I  might  know  it  when  seen 
again.  I  liked  this,  and  used  to  wish  that  I  was  as 
wise  as  my  master.  He  was  very  precise,  steady  and 
gentle  in  any  case  of  sickness,  and,  although  he  had 
long  retired  from  the  medical  world,  all  recognized 
his  merit  wherever  he  went.  I  used  to  go  to  the 
woods  and  gather  slippery  elm,  alum  root  and  the 
roots  of  wild  cherry  and  poplar,  lor  we  used  all  these 
in  compounding  medicines  for  the  servants. 

THE  OVERSEER — WHIPPINGS  AND  OTHER  CRUELTIES. 

The  overseer  was  a  man  hired  to  look  after  the 
farm  and  whip  the  slaves.  Very  often  they  were  not 
onl}T  cruel,  but  barbarous.  Every  farmer  or  planter 
considered  an  overseer  a  necessity.  As  a  rule,  there 
was  also  on  each  plantation,  a  foreman — one  of  the 
brighter  slaves,  who  was  held  responsible  for  the 
slaves  under  him,  and  whipped  if  they  did  not  come 
up  to  the  required  task.  There  was,  too,  a  forewoman, 
who,  in  like  manner,  had  charge  of  the  female  slaves, 
and  also  the  boys  and  girls  from  twelve  to  sixteen 
years  of  age,  and  all  the  old  people  that  were  feeble. 


LIFE  ON  A  COTTON  PLANTATION.  23 

This  was  called  the  trash  gang-.  Ah!  it  would  make 
one's  heart  ache  to  see  those  children  and  how  they 
were  worked.  Cold,  frosty  mornings,  the  little  ones 
would  be  crying-  from  cold;  but  they  had  to  keep  on. 
Aunt  Polly,  our  forewoman,  was  afraid  to  allow  them 
to  run  to  get  warm,  for  fear  the  overseer  would  see 
them.  Then  she  would  be  whipped,  and  he  would 
make  her  whip  all  of  the  gang.  At  length,  I  became 
used  to  severe  treatment  of  the  slaves ;  but,  every 
little  while  something  would  happen  to  make  me 
wish  I  were  dead.  Everything  was  in  a  bustle — always 
there  was  slashing-  and  whipping.  I  remember  when 
Boss  made  a  change  in  our  overseer.  It  was  the  be- 
ginning of  the  year.  Riley,  one  of  the  slaves,  who 
was  a  principal  plower,  was  not  on  hand  for  work  one 
Monday  morning,  having  been  delayed  in  fixing  the 
bridle  of  his  mule,  which  the  animal,  for  lack  of 
something  better,  perhaps,  had  been  vigorously  chew- 
ing and  rendered  nearly  useless.  He  was,  therefore, 
considerably  behind  time,  when  he  reached  the  field. 
Without  waiting  to  learn  what  was  the  reason  for  the 
delay,  the  overseer  sprang  upon  him  with  his  bull 
whip,  which  was  about  seven  feet  long,  lashing  him 
with  all  his  strength,  every  stroke  leaving  its  mark 


24  THIRTY  YEARS  A  SLAVE. 

upon  the  poor  man's  body,  and  finalty  the  knot  at  the 
end  of  the  whip  buried  itself  in  the  fleshy  part  of  the 
arm,  and  there  came  around  it  a  festering-  sore/  He 
suffered  greatly  with  it,  until  one  night  his  brother 
took  out  the  knot,  when  the  poor  fellow  was  asleep, 
for  he  could  not  bear  any  one  to  touch  it  when  he  was 
awake.  It  was  awful  to  hear  the  cracking  of  that 
whip  as  it  was  laid  about  Rile}T — one  would  have 
thought  that  an  ox  team  had  gotten  into  the  mire, 
and  was  being  whipped  out,  so  loud  and  sharp  was 
the  noise: 

I  usually  slept  in  the  dining  room  on  the  floor. 
Early  one  morning  an  old  slave,  b}T  name  of  "Uncle 
Jim,"  came  and  knocked  at  the  window,  and  upon  my 
jumping  up  and  going  to  him,  he  told  me  to  tell  Boss 
that  Uncle  Jim  was  there.  He  had  run  away,  some 
time  before,  and,  for  some  reason,  had  returned.  Boss, 
upon  hearing  the  news,  got  up  and  sent  me  to  tell  the 
overseer  to  come  at  once.  He  came,  and,  taking  the 
bull  whip,  a  cowhide  and  a  lot  of  peach-tree  switches, 
he  and  Boss  led  Uncle  Jim  back  into  the  cow  lot,  on 
the  side  of  the  hill,  where  they  drove  four  stakes  in 
the  ground,  and,  laying  him  flat  on  his  face,  tied  his 
hands  and  feet  to  these  stakes.     After  whipping  him, 


LIFE  ON  A  COTTON  PLANTATION.  25 

in  this  position,  all  they  wanted  to,  a  pail  of  strong- 
salt  and  water  was  brought,  and  the  poor  fellow  was 
"washed  down."  This  washing  was  customary,  after 
whippings,  as  the  planters  claimed  it  drew  out  all  the 
soreness,  and  healed  the  lacerated  flesh. 

Upon  one  occasion,  the  family  being  away,  I  was 
left  extra  work  to  do,  being  set  to  help  three  fellow 
slaves  lay  off  the  rows  for  planting  corn.  We  did  not 
get  them  quite  straight.  The  deviation  we  made 
from  the  line  was  very  little,  and  could  scarcely  be 
seen,  even  by  an  expert;  but  the  least  thing  wrong 
about  the  work  would  cause  any  slave  to  be  whipped, 
and  so  all  four  of  us  were  flogged. 

THE    SLAVE    CABIN. 

There  was  a  section  of  the  plantation  known  as 
"  the  quarters,"  where  were  situated  the  cabins  of  the 
slaves.  These  cabins  were  built  of  rough  logs,  and 
daubed  with  the  red  clay  or  mud  of  the  region.  No 
attempt  was  made  to  give  them  a  neat  appearance — 
they  were  not  even  whitewashed.  Each  cabin  was 
about  fourteen  feet  square,  containing  but  one  room, 
and  was  covered  with  oak  boards,  three  feet  in  length, 
split  out  of  logs  by  hand.  These  boards  were  not 
nailed    on,    but    held    in  their    places    by   what  were 


26  THIRTY  YEARS  A  SLAVE. 

termed  weight-poles  laid  across  them  at  right  angles. 
There  were  in  each  room  two  windows,  a  door  and  a 
large,  rude  fire-place.  The  door  and  window  frames, 
or  facings,  were  held  in  their  places  by  wooden  pins, 
nails  being  used  only  in  putting  the  doors  together. 
The  interior  of  the  cabins  had  nothing  more  attrac- 
tive than  the  outside — there  was  no  plastering  and 
only  a  dirt  floor.  The  furniture  consisted  of  one  bed, 
a  plain  board  table  and  some  benches  made  by  the 
slaves  themselves.  Sometimes  a  cabin  was  occupied 
by  two  or  more  families,  in  which  case  the  number  of 
beds  was  increased  proportionately.  For  light  a 
grease  lamp  was  used,  which  was  made  of  iron,  bowl 
shaped,  by  a  blacksmith.  The  bowl  was  filled  with 
grease  and  a  rag  or  wick  placed  in  it,  one  end  resting 
on  the  edge  for  lighting.  These  lamps  gave  a  good 
light,  and  were  in  general  use  among  the  slaves. 
Tallow  candles  were  a  luxury,  never  seen  except  in 
the  "great  houses"  of  the  planters.  The  only  light 
for  outdoors  used  by  the  slaves  was  a  torch  made  b}^ 
binding  together  a  bundle  of  small  sticks  or  splinters. 

COTTON    RAISING. 

After  the  selection  of  the  soil  most  suitable    for 
cotton,  the  preparation  of  it  was  of  vital  importance. 


LIFE  ON  A  COTTON  PLANTATION.  27 

The  land  was  deeply  plowed,  long-  enough  before  the 
time  for  planting  to  allow  the  spring  rains  to  settle  it. 
Then  it  was  thrown  into  beds  or  ridges  by  turning 
furrows  both  ways  toward  a  given  center.  The  seed 
was  planted  at  the  rate  of  one  hundred  pounds  per 
acre.  The  plant  made  its  appearance  in  about  ten 
days  after  planting,  if  the  weather  was  favorable. 
Earl}-  planting,  however,  followed  by  cold,  stormy 
weather  frequently  caused  the  seed  to  rot.  As  soon 
as  the  third  leaf  appeared  the  process  of  scraping 
commenced,  which  consisted  of  cleaning  the  ridge 
with  hoes  of  all  superflous  plants  and  all  weeds  and 
grass.  After  this  a  narrow  plow  known  as  a  "bull 
tongue,"  was  used  to  turn  the  loose  earth  around  the 
plant  and  cover  up  any  grass  not  totally  destroyed  by 
the  hoes.  If  the  surface  was  very  rough  the  hoes 
followed,  instead  of  preceding,  the  plow  to  unearth 
those  plants  that  ma}7  have  been  partially  covered. 
The  slaves  often  acquired  great  skill  in  these  oper- 
ations, running  plows  within  two  inches  of  the  stalks, 
and  striking  down  weeds  within  half  an  inch  with 
their  hoes,  rarely  touching  a  leaf  of  the  cotton. 
Subsequent  plowing,  alternating  with  hoeing, 
usually    occurred    once  in   twenty  days.     There  was 


28  THIRTY  YEARS  A  SLAVE. 

danger  in  deep  plowing-  of  injuring-  the  roots,  and  this 
was  avoided,  except  in  the  middle  of  rows  in  wet  seasons 
when  it  was  necessary  to  bury  and  more  effectually 
kill  the  grass.  The  implements  used  in  the  culture  of 
cotton  were  shovels,  hoes,  sweeps,  cultivators,  har- 
rows and  two  kinds  of  plows.  It  required  four 
months,  under  the  most  favorable  circumstances,  for 
cotton  to  attain  its  full  growth.  It  was  usually 
planted  about  the  1st  of  April,  or  from  March  20th  to 
April  10th,  bloomed  about  the  1st  of  June  and  the 
first  balls  opened  about  August  15th,  when  picking 
commenced.  The  blooms  come  out  in  the  morning 
and  are  full}-  developed  by  noon,  when  they  are  a  pure 
white.  Soon  after  meridian  they  begin  to  exhibit 
reddish  streaks,  and  next  morning  are  a  clear  pink. 
They  fall  off  by  noon  of  the  second  day. 

THE    COTTON    WORM. 

A  cut  worm  was  troublesome  sometimes  ;  but  the 
plants  were  watched  very  carefully,  and  as  soon  as 
any  signs  of  worms  were  seen  work  for  their  destruc- 
tion was  commenced.  The  majorit}T  of  the  eggs  were 
laid  upon  the  calyx  and  involucre.  The  worm,  after 
gnawing  through  its  enclosed  shell,  makes  its  first 
meal  upon  the  part  of  the  plant  upon  which  the  egg 


Life  on  a  cotton  plantation.  29 

was  laid,  be  it  leaf,  stem  or  involucre.  If  it  were  laid 
upon  the  leaf,  as  was  usually  the  case,  it  might  be 
three  daj^s  before  the  worm  reached  the  boll;  but  were 
the  eggs  laid  upon  the  involucre  the  worm  pierced 
through  within  twenty-four  hours  after  hatching. 
The  newly  hatched  boll  worm  walks  like  a  geometri- 
cal larva  or  looper,  a  measuring  worm  as  it  was  called. 
This  is  easily  explained  by  the  fact  that  while  in  the 
full  grown  worm  the  abdominal  legs,  or  pro  legs,  are 
nearhT  equal  in  length,  in  the  newly  hatched  worm 
the  second  pair  are  slightly  shorter  than  the  third, 
and  the  first  pair  are  shorter  and  slenderer  than  the 
second — a  state  of  things  approaching  that  in  the  full 
grown  cotton  worm,  though  the  difference  in  size  in 
the  former  case  is  not  nearly  so  marked  as  in  the  lat- 
ter. This  method  of  walking  is  lost  with  the  first  or 
second  molt.  There  is  nothing  remarkable  about 
these  young  larvae.  The}-  seem  to  be  thicker  in  pro- 
portion to  their  length  than  the  young  cotton  worms, 
and  they  have  not  so  delicate  and  transparent  an  ap- 
pearance. Their  heads  are  black  and  their  bodies 
seem  already  to  have  begun  to  vary  in  color.  The 
body  above  is  furnished  with  sparse,  stiff  hairs,  each 
arising-  from  a  tubercle.     I  have  often  watched  the 


30  THIRTY  YEARS  A  SLAVE. 

newly  hatched  boll  while  in  the  cotton  fields.     When 
hatched  from  an  egg-  which  had  been  deposited  upon 
a  leaf,  they  invariably  made  their  first  meal  on  the 
substance  of  the  leaf,   and  then  wandered    about    for 
a  longer  or  shorter  space  of  time,  evidently  seeking-  a 
boll    or    flower  bud.     It    was    always    interesting   to 
watch  this  seemingl}*   aimless  search    of    the  }Toung 
worm,   crawling  first  down  the  leaf   stem    and   then 
back,  then  dropping  a  few  inches  by  a  silken  thread 
and  then  painfully  working  its  way  back  again,  until, 
at  last,  it  found  the  object  of  its  search,  or  fell  to  the 
ground  where  it  was  destroyed  by  ants.     As  the  boll 
worms  increase  in  size  a  most  wonderful  diversity  of 
color  and  marking   becomes   apparent.     In   color  dif- 
ferent worms  will  vary  from  a  brilliant  green  to  a  deep 
pink  or  dark  brown,  exhibiting  almost  every  conceiv- 
able intermediate  stage  from  an  immaculate,  unstriped 
specimen  to  one  with  regular  spots  and  many  stripes. 
The  green  worms  were  more  common  than  those  of 
any  other  color — a  common  variety  was   a  very  light 
green.     When  these  worms  put  in  an  appearance  it 
raised  a  great   excitement  among  the  planters.     We 
did  not  use  any  poison  to  destroy  them,  as  I  learn  is 
the  method  now  employed. 


LIFE  ON  A  COTTON  PLANTATION.  31 

THE    COTTON    HARVEST. 

The  cotton  harvest,  or  picking-  season,  beg-an 
about  the  latter  part  of  Aug-ust  or  first  of  September, 
and  lasted  till  Christinas  or  after,  but  in  the  latter 
part  of  July  picking-  commenced  for  "the  first  bale" 
to  gx>  into  the  market  at  Memphis.  This  picking"  was 
done  by  children  from  nine  to  twelve  years  of  ag-e  and 
by  women  who  were  known  as  "  sucklers,"  that  is, 
women  with  infants.  The  pickers  would  pass  throug-h 
the  rows  g-etting-  very  little,  as  the  cotton  was  not  yet 
in  full  bloom.  From  the  lower  part  of  the  stalk 
where  it  opened  first  is  where  they  g"ot  the  first  pick- 
ing's. The  season  of  first  picking-  was  always  a  great 
time,  for  the  planter  who  broug-ht  the  first  bale  of 
cotton  into  market  at  Memphis  was  presented  with  a 
basket  of  champag-ne  by  the  commission  merchants. 
This  was  a  custom  established  throug-hout  Mississippi. 
After  the  first  picking-s  were  secured  the  cotton  de- 
veloped very  fast,  continuing-  to  bud  and  bloom  all  over 
the  stalk  until  the  frost  falls.  The  season  of  picking- 
was  exciting-  to  all  planters,  every  one  was  zealous  in 
pushing-  his  slaves  in  order  that  he  mig-ht  reap  the 
greatest  possible  harvest.  The  planters  talked  about 
their  prospects,  discussed  the  cotton  markets,  just  as 


32  THIRTY  YEARS  A  SLAVE. 

the  farmers  of  the  north  discuss  the  markets  for  their 
products.  I  often  saw  Boss  so  excited  and  nervous 
during-  the  season  he  scarcely  ate.  The  daily  task  of 
each  able-bodied  slave  during"  the  cotton  picking 
season  war  250  pounds  or  more,  and  all  those  who  did 
not  come  up  to  the  required  amount  would  get  a 
whipping.  When  the  planter  wanted  more  cotton 
picked  than  usual,  the  overseer  would  arrange  a  race. 
The  slaves  would  be  divided  into  two  parties,  with  a 
leader  for  each  party.  The  first  leader  would  choose  a 
slave  for  his  side,  then  the  second  leader  one  for  his, 
and  so  on  alternate^  until  all  were  chosen.  Each 
leader  tried  to  get  the  best  on  his  side.  They  would 
all  work  like  good  fellows  for  the  prize,  which  was  a 
tin  cup  of  sugar  for  each  slave  on  the  winning  side. 
The  contest  was  kept  up  for  three  da}-s  whenever  the 
planter  desired  an  extra  amount  picked.  The  slaves 
were  just  as  interested  in  the  races  as  if  they  were 
going  to  get  a  five  dollar  bill. 

PREPARING    COTTON    FOR    MARKET. 

The  gin-house  was  situated  about  four  hundred 
yards  from  "  the  great  house  "  on  the  main  road.  It 
was  a  large  shed  built  upon  square  timbers,  and  was 
similar  to  a  barn,  only  it  stood  some  six  feet  from  the 


LIFE  ON  A  COTTON  PLANTATION.  33 

ground,  and  underneath  was  located  the  machinery 
for  running-  the  gin.  The  cotton  was  put  into  the 
loft  after  it  was  dried,  ready  for  ginning.  In  this 
process  the  cotton  was  dropped  from  the  loft  to  the 
man  who  fed  the  machine.  As  it  was  ginned  the  lint 
would  go  into  the  lint  room,  and  the  seed  would  drop 
at  the  feeder's  feet.  The  baskets  used  for  holding 
lint  were  twice  as  large  as  those  used  in  the  picking 
process,  and  they  were  never  taken  from  the  gin  house. 
These  lint  baskets  were  used  in  removing  the  lint 
from  the  lint  room  to  the  place  where  the  cotton  was 
baled.  A  bale  contained  250  pounds,  and  the  man 
who  did  the  treading  of  the  cotton  into  the  bales 
would  not  vary  ten  pounds  in  the  bale,  so  accustomed 
was  he  to  the  packing.  Generally  from  fourteen  to  fif- 
teen bales  of  cotton  were  in  the  lint  room  at  a  time. 

OTHER    FARM    PRODUCTS. 

Cotton  was  the  chief  product  of  the  Mississippi 
farms  and  nothing  else  was  raised  to  sell.  Wheat, 
oats  and  rye  were  raised  in  limited  quantities,  but 
only  for  the  slaves  and  the  stock.  All  the  fine  flour 
for  the  master's  family  was  bought  in  St.  Louis. 
Corn  was  raised  in  abundance,  as  it  was  a  staple 
article  of  food  for  the   slaves.     It  was  planted  about 


34  THIRTY  YEARS  A  SLAVE}. 

the  1st  of  March,  or  about  a  month  earlier  than  the 
cotton.  It  was,  therefore,  up  and  partially  worked 
before  the  cotton  was  planted  and  fully  tilled  before 
the  cotton  was  ready  for  cultivation.  Peas  were 
planted  between  the  rows  of  corn,  and  hundreds  of 
bushels  were  raised.  These  peas  after  being-  harvested, 
dried  and  beaten  out  of  the  shell,  were  of  a  reddish 
brown  tint,  not  like  those  raised  for  the  master's 
family,  but  they  were  considered  a  wholesome  and 
nutritious  food  for  the  slaves.  Cabbage  and  yams,  a 
large  sweet  potato,  coarser  than  the  kind  generally 
used  by  the  whites  and  not  so  delicate  in  flavor,  were 
also  raised  for  the  servants  in  liberal  quantities.  No 
hay  was  raised,  but  the  leaves  of  the  corn,  stripped 
from  the  stalks  while  yet  green,  cured  and  bound  in 
bundles,  were  used  as  a  substitute  for  it  in  feeding 
horses. 

FARM    IMPLEMENTS. 

Almost  all  the  implements  used  on  the  plantation 
were  made  by  the  slaves.  Very  few  things  were 
bought.  Boss  had  a  skilled  blacksmith,  uncle  Ben, 
for  whom  he  paid  $1,800,  and  there  were  slaves  who 
were  carpenters  and  workers  in  wood  who  could  turn 
their   hands    to    almost    anything.      Wagons,    plows, 


LIFE  ON  A  COTTON  PLANTATION.  35 

harrows,  grubbing-  hoes,  hames,  collars,  baskets, 
bridle  bits  and  hoe  handles  were  all  made  on  the  farm 
and  from  the  material  which  it  produced,  except  the 
iron.  The  timber  used  in  these  implements  was 
generally  white  or  red  oak,  and  was  cut  and  thoroughly 
seasoned  long-  before  it  was  nedeed.  The  articles 
thus  manufactured  were  not  fine  in  form  or  finish,  but 
they  were  durable,  and  answered  the  purposes  of  a 
rude  method  of  agriculture.  Horse  collars  were  made 
from  corn  husks  and  from  poplar  bark  which  was 
stripped  from  the  tree,  in  the  spring,  when  the  sap  was 
up  and  it  was  soft  and  pliable,  and  separated  into  nar- 
row strips  which  were  plaited  together.  These  col- 
lars were  easy  for  the  horse,  and  served  the  purpose  of 
the  more  costly  leather  collar.  Every  season  at  least 
200  cotton  baskets  were  made.  One  man  usually 
worked  at  this  all  the  year  round,  but  in  the  spring  he 
had  three  assistants.  The  baskets  were  made  from 
oak  timber,  grown  in  the  home  forests  and  prepared 
by  the  slaves.  It  was  no  small  part  of  the  work  of 
the  blacksmith  and  his  assistant  to  keep  the  farm  im- 
plements in  good  repair,  and  much  of  this  work  was 
done  at  night.  All  the  plank  used  was  sawed  by 
hand  from  timber  grown  on  the  master's  land,  as  there 


36  THIRTY  YEARS  A  SLAVE. 

were  no  saw  mills  in  that  region.  Almost  the  only 
thing's  not  made  on  the  farm  which  were  in  general 
use  there  were  axes,  trace  chains  and  the  hoes  used  in 
cultivating-  the  cotton. 

THE    CLEARING    OF    NEW    LAND. 

When  additional  land  was  required  for  cultivation 
the  first  step  was  to  go  into  the  forest  in  summer  and 
"  deaden  "  or  girdle  the  trees  on  a  given  tract.  This 
was  cutting  through  the  bark  all  around  the  trunk 
about  thirty  inches  from  the  ground.  The  trees  so 
treated  soon  died  and  in  a  year  or  two  were  in  condi- 
tion to  be  removed.  The  season  selected  for  clearing 
the  land  was  winter,  beginning  with  January.  The 
trees,  except  the  larger  ones,  were  cut  down,  cut  into 
lengths  convenient  for  handling  and  piled  into  great 
heaps,  called  "  log  heaps,"  and  burned.  The  under- 
growth was  grubbed  out  and  also  piled  and  burned. 
The  burning  was  done  at  night  and  the  sight  was 
often  weird  and  grand.  The  chopping  was  done  by 
the  men  slaves  and  the  grubbing  15y  women.  All  the 
trees  that  blew  down  during  the  summer  were  left  as 
they  fell  till  winter  when  they  were  removed.  This 
went  on,  year  after  year,  until  all  the  trees  were 
cleared  out.     The  first  year  after   the  new  land  was 


LIFE  ON  A  COTTON  PLANTATION.  37 

cleared  corn  was  put  in,  the  next  season  cotton.  As  a 
rule  corn  and  cotton  were  planted  alternately,  espec- 
ially if  the  land  was  poor,  if  not,  cotton  would  be  con- 
tinued year  after  }Tear  on  the  same  land.  Old  corn 
stalks  were  always  plowed  under  for  the  next  year's 
crop  and  they  served  as  an  excellent  fertilizer.  Cot- 
ton was  seldom  planted  on  newly  cleared  land,  as  the 
roots  and  stumps  rendered  it  difficult  to  cultivate  the 
land  without  injury  to  the  growing-  plant. 

I  never  saw  women  put  to  the  hard  work  of  grub- 
bing until  I  went  to  McGee's  and  I  greatly  wondered 
at  it.  Such  work  was  not  done  by  women  slaves  in 
Virginia.  Children  were  required  to  do  some  work, 
it  mattered  not  how  many  grown  people  were  working. 
There  were  always  tasks  set  for  the  boys  and  girls 
ranging  in  age  from  nine  to  thirteen  years,  beyond 
these  ages  they  worked  with  the  older  slaves.  After 
I  had  been  in  Pontotoc  two  years  I  had  to  help  plant 
and  hoe,  and  work  in  the  cotton  during  the  seasons, 
and  soon  learned  to  do  everything  pertaining  to  the 
farm. 

COOKING    FOR    THE    SLAVES. 

In  summer  time  the  cooking  for  the  slaves  was 
done  out  of  doors.       A  largfe  fire  was  built  under  a 


38  THIRTY  YEARS  A  SLAVE. 

tree,  two  wooden  forks  were  driven  into  the  ground  on 
opposite  sides  of  the  fire,  a  pole  laid  on  the  forks  and 
on  this  kettles  were  hung-  over  the  fire  for  the  prepara- 
tion of  the  food.  Cabbag-e  and  meat,  boiled,  alter- 
nated with  meat  and  peas,  were  the  staple  for  summer. 
Bread  was  furnished  with  the  meals  and  corn  meal 
dumplings,  that  is,  little  balls  made  of  meal  and 
grease  from  the  boiled  bacon  and  dropped  into  boiling 
water,  were  also  provided  and  considered  quite  palat- 
able, especially  if  cooked  in  the  water  in  which  the 
bacon  was  boiled.  In  winter  the  cooking  was  done  in 
a  cabin,  and  sweet  potatoes,  dried  peas  and  meat  were 
the  principal  diet.  This  bill  of  fare  was  for  dinner  or 
the  mid-day  meal.  For  supper  each  slave  received  two 
pieces  of  meat  and  two  slices  of  bread,  but  these 
slices  were  very  large,  as  the  loaves  were  about  six 
inches  thick  and  baked  in  an  old  fashioned  oven. 
This  bread  was  made  from  corn  meal  for,  as  I  have 
said,  only  on  holidays  and  special  occasions  did  the 
slaves  have  white  bread  of  an}-  kind.  Part  of  the 
meat  and  bread  received  at  supper  time  was  saved  for 
the  "morning  bite."  The  slaves  never  had  any 
breakfast,  but  went  to  the  field  at  daylight  and  after 
working  till  the  sun  was  well  up,  all   would   stop  for 


LIFE  ON  A  COTTON  PLANTATION.  39 

their  morning-  bite.  Very  often  some  young-  fellow 
ate  his  morning  bite  the  evening  before  at  supper  and 
would  have  nothing  for  the  morning,  going  without 
eating  until  noon.  The  stop  for  morning  bite  was 
very  short;  then  all  would  plunge  into  work  until 
mid-day,  when  all  hands  were  summoned  to  their 
principal  meal. 

CARDING    AND    SPINNING. 

Through  the  winter  and  on  rainy  da}^s  in  summer, 
the  women  of  the  field  had  to  card  the  wool  and  spin 
it  into  yarn.  They  generally  worked  in  pairs,  a  spin- 
ning wheel  and  cards  being  assigned  to  each  pair,  and 
while  one  carded  the  wool  into  rolls,  the  other  spun  it 
into  yarn  suitable  for  weaving  into  cloth,  or  a  coarse, 
heavy  thread  used  in  making  bridles  and  lines  for  the 
mules  that  were  used  in  the  fields.  This  work  was 
done  in  the  cabins,  and  the  women  working  together 
alternated  in  the  carding  and  spinning.  Four  cuts 
were  considered  a  task  or  day's  work,  and  if  any  one 
failed  to  complete  her  task  she  received  a  whipping 
from  the  madam.  At  night  when  the  spinners  brought 
their  work  to  the  big  house  I  would  have  it  to  reel. 
The  reel  was  a  contrivance  consisting  of  a  sort  of 
wheel,    turned  on   an  axis,    used  to  transfer  the  yarn 


40  THIRTY  YEARS  A  SLAVE. 

from  the  spools  or  spindles  of  the  spinning-  wheels 
into  cuts  or  hunks.  It  was  turned  by  hand  and  when 
enough  yarn  had  been  reeled  to  make  a  cut  the  reel 
signaled  it  with  a  snap.  This  process  was  continued 
until  four  cuts  were  reeled  which  made  a  hunk,  and 
this  was  taken  off  and  was  read}-  for  use.  So  the 
work  went  on  until  all  was  reeled.  I  often  got  very 
weary  of  this  work  and  would  almost  fall  asleep  at  it, 
as  it  was  generally  done  at  night  after  I  had  had  a 
long  day's  toil  at  something  else. 

WEAVING — CLOTHES    OF    THE    SLAVES. 

One  woman  did  the  weaving  and  it  was  her  task  to 
weave  from  nine  to  ten  yards  a  day.  Aunt  Liza  was 
our  weaver  and  she  was  taught  the  work  by  the 
madam.  At  first  she  did  not  get  on  so  well  with  it 
and  many  times  I  have  seen  the  madam  jump  at  her, 
pinch  and  choke  her  because  she  was  dull  in  under- 
standing how  to  do  it.  The  madam  made  the  un- 
reasonable demand  that  she  should  do  the  full  task  at 
first,  and  because  she  failed  she  was  punished,  as  was 
the  custom  in  all  cases  of  failure,  no  matter  how  un- 
reasonable the  demand.  Liza  finally  became  equal  to 
her  task  and  accomplished  it  each  da}\  But  the 
trouble  and  worry  to  me  was  when  I  had  to  assist  the 


LIFE  ON  A  COTTON  PLANTATION.  41 

madam  in  warping- — getting-  the  work  ready  for  the 
weaver.  She  would  warp  the  thread  herself  and  place 
it  in  the  loom,  then  I  would  have  to  hand  her  the 
threads,  as  she  put  them  through  the  hames.  For 
any  failure  in  quickly  comprehending  or  doing  my 
work,  I  did  not  fail  to  receive  the  customary  blow,  or 
blows,  from  her  hand. 

Bach  piece  of  cloth  contained  forty  yards,  and  this 
cloth  was  used  in  making  clothes  for  the  servants. 
About  half  of  the  whole  amount  required  was  thus 
made  at  home;  the  remainder  was  bought,  and  as  it 
was  heavier  it  was  used  for  winter  clothing.  Each 
man  was  allowed  for  summer  two  pairs  of  pants  and 
two  shirts,  but  no  coat.  The  women  had  two  dresses 
and  two  chemises  each  for  summer.  For  winter  the 
men  had  each  two  pairs  of  pants,  one  coat,  one 
hat  and  one  pair  of  coarse  shoes.  These  shoes  before 
being  worn  had  to  be  greased  with  tallow,  with  a 
little  tar  in  it.  It  was  always  a  happy  time  when  the 
men  got  these  winter  goods — it  brought  many  a  smile 
to  their  faces,  though  the  supply  was  meager  and  the 
articles  of  the  cheapest.  The  women's  dresses  for 
winter  were  made  of  the  heavier  wool-cloth  used  for 
the  men.     They  also  had  one  pair  of  shoes  each  and 


42  THIRTY  YEARS  A  SLAVE. 

a  turban.  The  women  who  could  utilize  old  clothes, 
made  for  themselves  what  were  called  pantalets. 
They  had  no  stockings  or  undergarments  to  protect 
their  limbs — these  were  never  given  them.  The 
pantalets  were  made  like  a  pant-leg,  came  just  above 
the  knee,  and  were  caught  and  tied.  Sometimes  they 
looked  well  and  comfortable.  The  men's  old  pant-legs 
were  sometimes  used. 

I  remember  once  when  Boss  went  to  Memphis  and 
brought  back  a  bolt  of  gingham  for  turbans  for  the 
female  slaves.  It  was  a  red  and  3-ellow  check,  and  the 
turbans  made  from  it  were  only  to  be  worn  on  Sunday. 
The  old  women  were  so  glad  that  they  sang  and 
prayed.  A  little  gift  from  the  master  was  greatly  ap- 
preciated by  them.  I  always  came  in  for  my  share 
each  year,  but  m}T  clothes  were  somewhat  different. 
I  wore  pants  made  of  Bosse's  old  ones,  and  all  his  old 
coats  were  utilized  for  me.  The}-  rounded  them  off  at 
the  tail  just  a  little  and  called  them  jackets.  My 
shoes  were  not  brogans,  but  made  of  lighter  leather, 
and  made  suitable  for  in  the  house.  I  only  worked  on 
the  farm  in  busy  seasons,  and  did  not  have  the  regu- 
lar wear  of  the  farm  hands.  On  Monday  morning  it 
was  a  great  sight  to  see  all  the  hands  marching  to 


LIFE  ON  A  COTTON  PLANTATION.  43 

the  field.  The  cotton  clothes  worn  by  both  men  and 
women,  and  the  turbans  of  the  latter,  were  snowy 
white,  as  were  the  wool  hats  of  the  men — all  con- 
trasted with  the  dark  faces  of  the  wearers  in  a  strange 
and  striking-  manner. 

SLAVE    MOTHERS — CARE    OF   THE    CHILDREN. 

The  women  who  had  young  babies  were  assigned 
to  what  was  considered  "  light  work,"  such  as  hoeing 
potatoes,  cutting  weeds  from  the  fence  corners,  and 
any  other  work  of  like  character.  About  nine  o'clock 
in  the  forenoon,  at  noon,  and  three  o'clock  in  the  after- 
noon, these  women,  known  on  the  farms  as  "  the 
sucklers,"  could  be  seen  going  from  work  to  nurse 
their  babies.  Many  were  the  heart-sighs  of  these 
sorrowing  mothers  as  they  went  to  minister  to  their 
infants.  Sometimes  the  little  things  would  seem 
starved,  for  the  mothers  could  only  stop  their  toil 
three  times  a  day  to  care  for  them.  When  old  enough 
to  receive  it,  the  babies  had  milk,  the  liquor  from 
boiled  cabbage,  and  bread  and  milk  together.  A 
woman  who  was  too  old  to  do  much  of  anything  was 
assigned  to  the  charge  of  these  babies  in  the  absence 
of  their  mothers.  It  was  rare  that  she  had  any  one 
to  help  her.     The  cries  of  these  little  ones,  who  were 


44  THIRTY  YEARS  A  SLAVE. 

cut  off  almost  entirely  from   motherl}-  care  and  pro- 
tection, were  heart-rending-. 

The  cabin  used  for  the  infants  during-  the  day  was 
a  double  one,  that  is,  double  the  usual  size,  and  was 
located  near  the  great  house.  The  cradles  used  were 
made  of  boards,  and  were  not  more  than  two  by  three 
feet  in  size.  The  women  carried  their  babies  in  the 
cradles  to  the  bab}T  cabin  in  the  morning,  taking  them 
to  their  own  cabins  at  night.  The  children  ranging 
in  age  from  one  to  seven  }*ears  were  numerous,  and  the 
old  woman  had  them  to  look  after  as  well  as  the  babies. 
This  was  indeed  a  task,  and  might  well  have  taxed 
the  strength  of  a  3-ounger  woman.  They  were 
alwaj'S  from  eight  to  a  dozen  infants  in  the  cabin. 
The  summer  season  was  trying  on  the  babies  and 
young  children.  Often  they  would  drink  too  much 
liquor  from  cabbage,  or  too  much  buttermilk,  and 
would  be  taken  with  a  severe  colic.  I  was  always 
called  on  these  occasions  to  go  with  Boss  to  administer 
medicine.  I  remember  on  one  occasion  a  little  boy 
had  eaten  too  much  cabbage,  and  was  taken  with 
cramp  colic.  In  a  few  minutes  his  stomach  was 
swolen  as  tight  and  hard  as  a  baloon,  and  his  teeth 
clenched.     He  was  given  an  emetic,  put  in  a  mustard 


UFE  ON  A  COTTON  PLANTATION.  45 

bath  and  was  soon  relieved.  The  food  was  too  heavy 
for  these  children,  and  they  were  nearly  alwa}Ts  in 
need  of  some  medical  attendance.  Excessive  heat, 
with  improper  food,  often  brought  on  cholera  infan- 
tum, from  which  the  infants  sometimes  died  rapidly 
and  in  considerable  numbers. 

METHODS    OF    PUNISHMENT. 

The  methods  of  punishment  were  barbarous  in  the 
extreme,  and  so  numerous  that  I  will  not  attempt  to 
describe  them  all.  One  method  was  to  tie  the  slave 
to  a  tree,  strip  off  his  clothes,  and  then  whip  him 
with  a  rawhide,  or  long-,  limber  switches,  or  the 
terrible  bull  whip.  Another  was  to  put  the  slave  in 
stocks,  or  to  buck  him,  that  is,  fasten  his  feet  together, 
draw  up  his  knees  to  his  chin,  tie  his  hands  together, 
draw  them  down  over  the  knees,  and  put  a  stick  under 
the  latter  and  over  the  arms.  In  either  of  these  ways 
the  slave  was  entirely  at  the  mercy  of  his  tormentors, 
and  the  whipping  could  proceed  at  their  pleasure. 
After  these  whippings  the  slave  was  often  left  help- 
less and  bleeding  upon  the  ground,  until  the  master, 
oroverseer,  saw  fit  to  let  him  up.  The  most  common 
method  of  punishment  was  to  have  the  servants  form 
a  ring,  called  the  "bull  ring,"  into  which  the  one  to 


46  THIRTY  YEARS  A  SLAVE. 

be  punished  was  led  naked.  The  slaves  were  then 
each  given  a  switch,  rawhide,  strap  or  whip,  and  each 
one  was  compelled  to  cut  at  the  poor  victim  as  he  ran 
around  the  ring-.  The  ring-  was  composed  of  men, 
women  and  children;  and,  as  they  numbered  from 
forty  to  fifty,  each  circuit  of  the  ring  would  result  in 
that  number  of  lashes,  and  b}T  the  time  the  victim  had 
made  two  or  three  rounds  his  condition  can  be  readily 
imagined.  The  overseer  was  always  one  of  the  ring, 
vigorously  using  the  whip,  and  seeing  that  all  the 
slaves  did  the  same.  Some  of  the  victims  fainted  be- 
fore they  had  passed  once  around  the  ring.  Women 
slaves  were  punished  in  the  same  manner  as  the  men. 
The  salt  water  bath  was  given  after  each  punishment. 
Runaway  slaves  were  usually  caught  by  means  of 
hounds,  trained  for  the  purpose  by  men  who  made  it  a 
business  and  a  source  of  revenue,  notwithstanding  its 
brutal  features  and  degrading  influence. 

FOURTH    OF   JULY    BARBFCUF. 

Barbecue  originally  meant  to  dress  and  roast  a 
hog  whole,  but  has  come  to  mean  the  cooking  of  a 
food  animal  in  this  manner  for  the  feeding  of  a  great 
company.  A  feast  of  this  kind  was  alwaj^s  given  to 
us,  by  Boss,  on  the  4th  of  July.     The  anticipation  of  it 


LIFE  ON  A  COTTON  PLANTATION.  47 

acted  as  a  stimulant  through  the  entire  year.  Each 
one  looked  forward  to  this  great  day  of  recreation 
with  pleasure.  Even  the  older  slaves  would  join  in 
the  discussion  of  the  coming  event.  It  mattered  not 
what  trouble  or  hardship  the  year  had  brought,  this 
feast  and  its  attendant  pleasure  would  dissipate  all 
gloom.  Some,  probably,  would  be  punished  on  the 
morning  of  the  4th,  but  this  did  not  matter  ;  the  men 
thought  of  the  good  things  in  store  for  them,  and 
that  made  them  forget  that  they  had  been  punished. 
All  the  week  previous  to  the  great  day,  the  slaves 
were  in  high  spirits,  the  young  girls  and  boys,  each 
evening,  congregating,  in  front  of  the  cabins,  to  talk 
of  the  feast,  while  others  would  sing  and  dance. 
The  older  slaves  were  not  less  happy,  but  would  only 
say  :  "Ah  !  God  has  blessed  us  in  permitting  us  to 
see  another  feast  day."  The  day  before  the  4th  was 
a  busy  one.  The  slaves  worked  with  all  their  might. 
The  children  who  were  large  enough  were  engaged 
in  bringing  wood  and  bark  to  the  spot  where  the 
barbecue  was  to  take  place.  They  worked  eagerly, 
all  day  long ;  and,  by  the  time  the  sun  was  setting, 
a  huge  pile  of  fuel  was  beside  the  trench,  ready  for 
use  in  the  morning.     At  an  early  hour  of  the   great 


48  THIRTY  YEARS  A  SLAVE. 

day,  the  servants  were  up,  and  the  men  whom  Boss 
had  appointed  to  look  after  the  killing-  of  the  hogs 
and  sheep  were  quickly  at  their  work,  and,  by  the 
time  they  had  the  meat  dressed  and  ready,  most  of 
the  slaves  had  arrived  at  the  center  of  attraction. 
They  gathered  in  groups,  talking,  laughing,  telling 
tales  that  they  had  from  their  grandfather,  or 
relating  practical  jokes  that  they  had  played  or  seen 
played  by  others.  These  tales  were  received  with 
peals  of  laughter.  But  however  much  they  seemed  to 
enjoy  these  stories  and  social  interchanges,  they 
never  lost  sight  of  the  trench  or  the  spot  where  the 
sweetmeats  were  to  be  cooked. 

The  method  of  cooking  the  meat  was  to  dig  a 
trench  in  the  ground  about  six  feet  long  and  eighteen 
inches  deep.  This  trench  was  filled  with  wood  and 
bark  which  was  set  on  fire,  and,  when  it  was  burned 
to  a  great  bed  of  coals,  the  hog  was  split  through  the 
back  bone,  and  laid  on  poles  which  had  been  placed 
across  the  trench.  The  sheep  were  treated  in  the 
same  way,  and  both  were  turned  from  side  to  side  as 
they  cooked.  During  the  process  of  roasting  the 
cooks  basted  the  carcasses  with  a  preparation  fur- 
nished from  the   great   house,    consisting    of    butter, 


LIFE  ON  A  COTTON  PLANTATION.  49 

pepper,  salt  and  vinegar,  and  this  was  continued 
until  the  meat  was  ready  to  serve.  Not  far  from  this 
trench  were  the  iron  ovens,  where  the  sweetmeats 
were  cooked.  Three  or  four  women  were  assigned  to 
this  work.  Peach  cobbler  and  apple  dumpling-  were 
the  two  dishes  that  made  old  slaves  smile  for  joy  and 
the  young-  fairly  dance.  The  crust  or  pastr}-  of  the 
cobbler  was  prepared  in  large  earthen  bowls,  then 
rolled  out  like  any  pie  crust,  onl}-  it  was  almost  twice 
as  thick.  A  layer  of  this  crust  was  laid  in  the  oven, 
then  a  half  peck  of  peaches  poured  in,  followed  by  a 
la}-er  of  sugar ;  then  a  covering  of  pastr}'  was  laid 
over  all  and  smoothed  around  with  a  knife.  The 
oven  was  then  put  over  a  bed  of  coals,  the  cover  put  on 
and  coals  thrown  on  it,  and  the  process  of  baking 
began.  Four  of  these  ovens  were  usually  in  use  at 
these  feasts,  so  that  enough  of  the  pastry  might  be 
baked  to  supply  all.  The  ovens  were  filled  and 
refilled  until  there  was  no  doubt  about  the  quantity. 
The  apple  dumplings  were  made  in  the  usual  way, 
only  larger,  and  served  with  sauce  made  from  brown 
sugar.  It  lacked  flavoring,  such  as  cinnamon  or 
lemon,  yet  it  was  a  dish  highly  relished  by  all  the 
slaves.     I  know  that  these  feasts  made  me  so  excited, 


50  THIRTY  YEARS  A  SLAVE. 

I  could  scarcely  do  my  house  duties,  and  I  would  never 
fail  to  stop  and  look  out  of  the  window  from  the 
dining-  room  down  into  the  quarters.  I  was  eager  to 
get  through  with  m}-  work  and  be  with  the  feasters. 
About  noon  ever}Tthing  was  ready  to  serve.  The 
table  was  set  in  a  grove  near  the  quarters,  a  place  set 
aside  for  these  occasions.  The  tableware  was  not 
fine,  being  of  tin,  but  it  served  the  purpose,  and  did 
not  detract  from  the  slaves'  relish  for  the  feast.  The 
drinks  were  strictly  temperance  drinks  —  buttermilk 
and  water.  Some  of  the  nicest  portions  of  the  meat 
were  sliced  off  and  put  on  a  platter  to  send  to  the 
great  house  for  Boss  and  his  family.  It  was  a  pleasure 
for  the  slaves  to  do  this,  for  Boss  always  enjoyed  it. 
It  was  said  that  the  slaves  could  barbecue  meats  best, 
and  when  the  whites  had  barbecues  slaves  always  did 
the  cooking.  When  dinner  was  all  on  the  table,  the 
invitation  was  given  for  all  to  come  ;  and  when  all 
were  in  a  good  way  eating,  Boss  and  the  madam 
would  go  out  to  witness  the  progress  of  the  feast,  and 
seemed  pleased  to  see  the  servants  so  happy.  Every- 
thing was  in  abundance,  so  all  could  have  plenty — ■ 
Boss  always  insisted  on  this.  The  slaves  had  the 
whole  day  off,    and  could  do  as   the}'   liked.       After 


LIFE  ON  A  COTTON  PLANTATION.  51 

dinner  some  of  the  women  would  wash,  sew  or  iron. 
It  was  a  day  of  harmless  riot  for  all  the  slaves,  and  I 
can  not  express  the  happiness  it  brought  them.  Old 
and  young-,  for  months,  would  rejoice  in  the  memory 
of  the  day  and  its  festivities,  and  "bless"  Boss  for  this 
ray  of  sunlight  in  their  darkened  lives. 

ATTENDANCE    AT    CHURCH. 

There  was  an  observance  of  religious  forms  at 
least  by  the  occupants  of  both  the  great  house  and 
the  cabins.  The  McGee  family  were  church-going 
people,  and,  except  in  ver}*  inclement  weather,  never 
failed  to  attend  service  on  Sunda}\  They  were 
Methodists,  and  their  church  was  four  miles  from 
their  residence.  The  Baptist  church  was  but  two 
miles  distant,  and  the  family  usually  alternated  in 
their  attendance  between  the  two  places  of  worship. 
I  always  attended  them  to  church,  generally  riding 
behind  while  the  Boss  drove.  Upon  reaching  church, 
my  first  duty  was  to  run  to  a  spring  for  a  pitcher  of 
fresh  water,  which  I  passed  not  only  to  the  members 
of  our  part}-,  but  to  any  others  desiring  drink. 
Whatever  may  be  thought  of  the  religious  professions 
of  the  slave-holders,  there  can  be  no  question  that 
many    of   the    slaves   were    sincere    believers    in    the 


52  THIRTY  YEARS  A  SLAVE- 

Christian    religion,    and   endeavored  to   obey  the  pre- 
cepts according-  to  their  light. 

RELIGIOUS    MEETINGS    OP   THE    SLAVES. 

Saturda}*  evening  on  the  farm  was  always  hailed 
with  delight.  The  air  was  filled  with  happy  shouts 
from  men  and  boys,  so  glad  were  they  that  Sunda}^, 
their  only  day  of  rest,  was  near.  In  the  cabins  the 
women  were  washing  and  fixing  garments  for  Sunday, 
that  they  might  honor  the  Lord  in  cleanliness  and 
decency.  It  was  astonishing  how  they  utilized  what 
they  had,  and  with  what  skill  and  industry  they  per- 
formed these  self-imposed  tasks.  Where  the  family 
was  large  it  was  often  after  midnight  before  this 
work  was  done.  While  this  preparation  for  the 
Sabbath  was  in  progress  in  most  of  the  cabins,  the 
old  men  would  gather  in  one  for  a  prayer-meeting. 
As  they  began  to  sing  some  familiar  hymn5  the  air 
would  ring  with  their  voices,  and  it  was  not  long 
before  the  cabin  was  filled  with  both  old  and  3-oung, 
who  came  in  their  simple  yet  sincere  way  to  give 
praise  to  God.  It  was  common  to  have  one  or  two 
exhorters  on  the  plantation  who  claimed  to  be  called 
to  do  service  for  God,  by  teaching  their  fellow  men 
the  principles  of  religion.       God  certainly  must  have 


LIFE  ON  A  COTTON  PLANTATION.  53 

revealed  himself  to  these  poor  souls,  for  they  were 
very  ignorant — they  did  not  know  a  letter  of  the  Bible. 
But  when  they  opened  their  mouths  they  were  filled, 
and  the  plan  of  Salvation  was  explained  in  a  way 
that  all  could  receive  it.  It  was  always  a  mystery  to 
the  white  brethren  how  the  slaves  could  line  out 
hymns,  preach  Christ  and  redemption,  yet  have  no 
knowledge  even  of  how  the  name  of  Christ  was 
spelled.  They  were  illiterate  to  the  last  degree,  so 
there  is  but  one  theory,  they  were  inspired.  God 
revealed  unto  them  just  what  they  should  teach  their 
flock,  the  same  as  he  did  to  Moses.  I  remember  very 
well  that  there  was  always  a  solemnit}T  about  the 
services  —  a  certain  harmony,  which  had  a  peculiar 
effect  — a  certain  pathetic  tone  which  quickened  the 
emotions  as  the}7  sang-  those  old  plantation  In'tnns. 
It  mattered  not  what  their  troubles  had  been  during 
the  week  —  how  much  they  had  been  lashed,  the 
prayer-meeting  on  Saturday  evening  never  failed  to 
be  held.  Their  faith  was  tried  and  true.  On  Sunday 
afternoons,  they  would  all  congregate  again  to  praise 
God,  and  the  congregation  was  enthusiastic.  It  was 
pathetic  to  hear  them  pray,  from  the  depths  of  their 
hearts,    for  them  who    '•despitefully  used  them   and 


54  THIRTY  YEARS  A  SLAVE. 

persecuted  them."  This  injunction  of  our  Saviour 
was  strictly  adhered  to.  The  words  that  came  from 
the  minister  were  always  of  a  consolatory  kind.  He 
knew  the  crosses  of  his  fellow  slaves  and  their  hard- 
ships, for  he  had  shared  them  himself.  I  was  always 
touched  in  hearing-  him  give  out  the  hymns.  I  can 
hear  old  Uncle  Ben  now,  as  he  solemnly  worded  out 
the  following-  lines: 

Must  I  be  carried  to  the  skies, 

On  flowery  beds  of  ease, 
While  others  fought  to  win  the  prize, 

And  sailed  through  bloody  seas  ? 

After  singing  he  would  always  speak  to  them  of 
the  necessity  for  patience  in  bearing  the  crosses,  urg- 
ing them  to  endure  "as  good  soldiers.''1  Many  tears 
were  shed,  and  many  glad  shouts  of  praise  would 
burst  forth  during  the  sermon.  A  h}Tmn  usually  fol- 
lowed the  sermon,  then  all  retired.  Their  faces 
seemed  to  shine  with  a  happy  light — their  very 
countenance  showed  that  their  souls  had  been  refreshed 
and  that  it  had  been  "good  for  them  to  be  there." 
These  meetings  were  the  joy  and  comfort  of  the  slaves, 
and  even  those  who  did  not  profess  Christianity  were 
calm  and  thoughtful  while  in  attendance. 


LIFE  ON  A  COTTON  PLANTATION.  55 

A    NEIGHBORHOOD    QUARREL- 

Opposite  our  farm  was  one  owned  by  a  Mr.  Juval, 
and  adjoining-  that  was  another  belonging  to  one 
White.  The  McGees  and  the  Whites  were  very  fast 
friends,  visiting-  each  other  regularly — indeed  they  had 
grown  up  together,  and  Mr.  White  at  one  time  was 
the  lover  of  the  madam,  and  engaged  to  be  married 
to  her.  This  friendship  had  existed  for  years,  when 
McGee  bought  the  Juval  farm,  for  which  White  had 
also  been  negotiating,  but  which  he  failed  to  get  on 
account  of  McGee  having  out-bid  him.  From  this 
circumstance  ill  feeling  was  engendered  between  the 
two  men,  and  they  soon  became  bitter  enemies.  Mc- 
Gee had  decided  to  build  a  fence  between  the  farm  he 
had  purchased  and  that  of  White,  and,  during  the 
winter,  his  teamsters  were  set  to  hauling  the  rails; 
and,  in  unloading  them,  they  accidentl}T  threw  some 
of  them  over  the  line  on  to  White's  land.  The  latter 
said  nothing  about  the  matter  until  spring,  when  he 
wrote  McGee  a  letter,  asking  him  to  remove  the  rails 
from  his  land.  McGee  paid  no  attention  to  the  re- 
quest, and  he  soon  received  a  second  note,  when  he 
said  to  his  wife:  "  That  fellow  is  about  to  turn  him- 
self a  fool — I'll  give  him  a  cow-hiding."     A  third  and 


56  THIRTY  YEARS  A  SLAVE. 

more  emphatic  note  followed,  in  which  White  told  the 
Boss  that  the  rails  must  be  removed  within  twenty- 
four  hours.  He  grew  indignant,  and,  in  true  South- 
ern style,  he  went  immediately-  to  town  and  bought 
arms,  and  prepared  himself  for  the  fray.  When  he 
returned  he  had  every  hand  on  the  plantation  stop 
regular  work,  and  put  them  all  to  building  the  fence. 
I  was  of  the  number.  Boss  and  the  overseer  came 
out  to  overlook  the  work  and  hurry  it  on.  About 
four  o'clock  in  the  afternoon  White  put  in  an  appear- 
ance, and  came  face  to  face  with  McGee,  sitting  on 
his  horse  and  having  a  double  barreled  shot  gun 
lying-  across  the  pummel  of  his  saddle.  White 
passed  on  without  saying  a  word,  but  Boss  j-elled  at 
him  :  "Hello!  I  see  you  are  about  to  turn  }Tourself 
a  d — d  fool."  White  checked  up  and  began  to  swear, 
sa}'ing:  "You  are  a  coward  to  attack  an  unarmed 
man."  He  grew  furious,  took  off  his  hat,  ran  his 
fingers  through  his  hair,  saying:  "  Here  I  am,  blow 
me  to  h — 1,  and  I'll  have  some  one  blow  }'ou  there  be- 
fore night."  During  White's  rage  he  said:  "I'll 
fight  you  anywhere — bowie-knife  fight,  shot  gun  fight 
or  any  other."  He  called,  in  his  excitement,  for  his 
nephew,  who  was  working  on  his  farm,  to  come,  and 


LIFE  ON  A  COTTON  PLANTATION.  57 

immediately  sent  him  to  Billy  Duncan's  to  get  him  a 
double  barreled  shot  gun.  Meantime,  Mrs.  McGee 
appeared  on  the  scene,  and  began  to  cry,  begging 
White  to  stop  and  allow  her  to  speak  to  him.  But  he 
replied:  "  Go  off,  go  off,  I  don't  want  to  speak  to 
you."  Boss  grew  weak  and  sick,  and  through  his  ex- 
citement, was  taken  violently  ill,  vomiting  as  if  he 
had  taken  an  emetic.  He  said  to  White  :  "  I'll  re- 
turn as  soon  as  I  take  my  wife  home,"  but  he  never 
came  back.  As  Boss  and  the  madam  rode  off,  White 
came  galloping  back,  and  said  to  Brooks,  our  over- 
seer: "  If  I  am  shot  down  on  foul  play  would  you 
speak  of  it?"  Brooks  replied:  "No,  I  don't  care  to 
interfere — I  don't  wish  to  have  anything  to  do  with 
it."  White  was  bloodthirsty,  and  came  back  at  inter- 
vals during  the  entire  night,  where  we  were  working, 
to  see  if  he  could  find  Boss.  It  is  quite  probable  that 
White  may  have  long  cherished  a  secret  grudge 
against  Boss,  because  he  had  robbed  him  of  his  first 
love;  and,  brooding  over  these  offenses,  he  became  so 
excited  as  to  be  almost  insane.  Had  McGee  returned 
that  night,  White  would  certainly  have  shot  him. 
Boss  became  so  uneasy  over  the  situation  that  he  sent 
one  of  his  slaves,  a  foreman,  to  Panola  county,  some 


58  THIRTY  YEARS  A  SLAVE. 

seventy-five  miles  distant,  to  Mrs.  McGee's  father,  to 
get  her  brother,  a  lawyer,  to  come  and  endeavor  to 
effect  a  settlement.  He  came,  but  all  his  efforts  were 
unavailing-.  The  men  met  at  a  magistrate's  office,  but 
they  came  to  no  understanding.  Our  folks  became 
dissatisfied,  and  did  not  care  to  remain  longer  in  the 
place,  so  they  began  to  look  out  for  other  quarters. 
Boss  finally  decided  to  buy  a  farm  in  Bolivar,  Miss.,  and 
to  remove  his  family  to  Memphis,  where  he  secured  a 
fine  place,  just  outside  of  the  city. 


CHAPTER  II. 
SOCIAL  AND  OTHER  ASPECTS  OF  SLAVERY, 

REMOVAL   TO    MEMPHIS,    TENNESSEE. 

McGee  had  decided  to  build  a  new  house  upon  the 
property  which  he  had  purchased  at  Memphis  ;  and, 
in  August  1850,  he  sent  twenty-five  of  his  slaves  to 
the  city,  to  make  brick  for  the  structure,  and  I  went 
along-  as  cook.  After  the  bricks  were  burned,  the 
work  of  clearing-  the  ground  for  the  buildings  was 
commenced.  There  were  many  large  and  beautiful 
trees  that  had  to  be  taken  up  and  removed;  and,  when 
this  work  was  completed,  the  excavations  for  the 
foundations  and  the  cellar  were  undertaken.  All  of 
this  work  was  done  by  the  slaves.  The  site  was  a 
beautiful  one,  embracing  fourteen  acres,  situated  two 
miles  southeast  from  the  city,  on  the  Memphis  and 
Charleston  railroad.  The  road  ran  in  front  of  the 
place  and  the  Boss  built  a  flag-station  there,  for  the 
accommodation  of  himself  and  his  neighbors,  which 
was  named  McGee  Station. 


60  THIRTY  YEARS  A  SLAVE. 

A    NEW    AND    SPLENDID    HOUSE. 

The  house  was  one  of  the  most  pretentious  in  that 
region,  and  was  a  year  and  a  half  in  building-.  It 
was  two  stories  in  height,  and  built  of  brick,  the 
exterior  surface  being-  coated  with  cement  and  marked 
off  in  blocks,  about  two  feet  square,  to  represent 
stone.  It  was  then  whitewashed.  There  was  a 
veranda  in  front  with  six  large  columns,  and,  above, 
a  balcony.  On  the  back  there  were  also  a  veranda 
and  a  balcony,  extending  across  that  end  to  the 
servants'  wing.  A  large  hall  led  from  front  to  rear, 
on  one  side  of  which  were  double  parlors,  and  on  the 
other  a  sitting  room,  a  bedroom  and  a  dining  room. 
In  the  second  story  were  a  hall  and  four  rooms, 
similar  in  all  respects  to  those  below,  and  above  these 
was  a  large  attic.  The  interior  woodwork  was  of 
black  walnut.  The  walls  were  white,  and  the  center- 
pieces in  the  ceilings  of  all  the  rooms  were  very  fine, 
being  the  work  of  an  English  artisan,  who  had  been 
only  a  short  time  in  this  country.  This  work  was  so 
superior,  in  design  and  finish,  to  anything  before  seen 
in  that  region  that  local  artisans  were  much  excited 
over  it;  and  some  offered  to  purchase  the  right  to 
reproduce  it,  but  Boss   refused  the  offer.       However, 


SOCIAL  AND  OTHER  ASPECTS  OF  SLAVERY.       61 

some  one,  while  the  house  was  finishing-,  helped  him- 
self to  the  design,  and  it  was  reproduced,  in  whole  or 
in  part,  in  other  buildings  in  the  city.  This 
employment  of  a  foreign  artist  was  unusual  there  and 
caused  much  comment.  The  parlors  were  furnished 
with  mahogany  sets,  the  upholstering  being  in  red 
brocade  satin.  The  dining  room  was  also  furnished 
in  mahogany.  The  bedrooms  had  mahogany  bed- 
steads of  the  old-fashioned  pattern  with  canopies. 
Costly  bric-a-brac,  which  Boss  and  the  madam  had 
purchased  while  traveling  in  foreign  countries,  was 
in  great  profusion.  Money  was  no  object  to  Edmund 
McGee,  and  he  added  every  modern  improvement  and 
luxury  to  his  home;  the  decorations  and  furnishings 
were  throughout  of  the  most  costly  and  elegant;  and 
in  the  whole  of  Tennessee  there  was  not  a  mansion 
more  sumptuousl}7  complete  in  all  its  appointments, 
or  more  palatial  in  its  general  appearance.  When  all 
was  finished  —  pictures,  bric-a-brac,  statuary  and 
flowers  all  in  their  places,  Mrs.  McGee  was  brought 
home. 

In  this  new  house  Boss  opened  up  in  grand  style; 
everything  was  changed,  and  the  family  entered  upon 
a  new,   more   formal  and  more  pretentious  manner  of 


62  THIRTY  YEARS  A  SLAVE. 

living-.  I  was  known  no  longer  as  errand  boy,  but 
installed  as  butler  and  body-servant  to  my  master.  I 
had  the  same  routine  of  morning  work,  only  it  was 
more  extensive.  There  was  a  great  deal  to  be  done 
in  so  spacious  a  mansion.  Looking  after  the  parlors, 
halls  and  dining  rooms,  arranging  flowers  in  the 
rooms,  waiting  on  the  table,  and  going  after  the  mail 
was  my  regular  morning  work,  the  j-ear  round.  Then 
there  were  my  duties  to  perform,  night  and  morning, 
for  my  master;  these  were  to  brush  his  clothes,  black 
his  shoes,  assist  him  to  arrange  his  toilet,  and  do  any 
little  thing  that  he  wanted  me  to.  Aside  from  these 
regular  duties,  there  were  windows  to  wash,  silver  to 
polish  and  steps  to  stone  on  certain  days  in  the  week. 
I  was  called  to  do  any  errand  neccessary,  and  some- 
times to  assist  in  the  garden.  A  new  staff  of  house 
servants  was  installed,  as  follows:  Aunt  Delia,  cook; 
Louisa,  chambermaid;  Puss,  lady's  maid  to  wait  on 
the  madam;  Celia,  nurse;  Lethia,  wet  nurse;  Sarah, 
dairymaid;  Julia,  laundress;  Uncle  Gooden,  gardener; 
Thomas,  coachman. 

THE   NEW   STYEE   OF   LIVING. 
The  servants,  at  first,    were  dazed  with  the  splen- 
dor of  the  new  house,    and  laughed  and  chuckled  to 


SOCIAL  AND  OTHER  ASPECTS  OF  SLAVERY.       63 

themselves  a  good  deal  about  mars'  fine  house,  and 
really  seemed  pleased;  for,  strange  to  say,  the  slaves  i 
of  rich  people  always  rejoiced  in  that  fact.  A  servant  | 
owned  by  a  man  in  moderate  circumstances  was 
hooted  at  by  rich  men's  slaves.  It  was  common  for 
them  to  say:  "  Oh!  don't  mind  that  darkey,  he  belongs 
to  po'r  white  trash."  So,  as  I  said,  our  slaves  rejoiced 
in  master's  good  luck.  Each  of  the  women  servants 
wore  a  new,  gay  colored  turban,  which  was  tied 
differently  from  that  of  the  ordinary  servant,  in  some 
fancy  knot.  Their  frocks  and  aprons  were  new,  and 
really  the  servants  themselves  looked  new.  My  outfit 
was  a  new  cloth  suit,  and  my  aprons  for  wearing 
when  waiting  on  the  table  were  of  snowy  white  linen, 
the  style  being  copied  from  that  of  the  New  York 
waiters.  I  felt  big,  for  I  never  knew  what  a  white 
bosom  shirt  was  before;  and  even  though  the  grief  at 
the  separation  from  my  dear  mother  was  almost  un- 
bearable at  times,  and  my  sense  of  loneliness  in 
having  no  relative  near  me  often  made  me  sad,  there 
was  consolation,  if  not  compensation,  in  this  little 
change.  I  had  known  no  comforts,  and  had  been 
so  cowed  and  broken  in  spirits,  by  cruel  lashings,  that 
I  really  felt   light-hearted  at  this  improvement  in  my 


64  THIRTY  YEARS  A  SLAVE. 

personal  appearance,  although  it  was  merely  for  the 
gratification  of  my  master's  pride;  and  I  thought  I 
would  do  all  I  could  to  please  Boss. 

THE  ADORNMENT  OF  THE  GROUNDS. 

For  some  time  before  all  the  appointments  of  the 
new  home  were  completed,  a  great  number  of  me- 
chanics and  workmen,  besides  our  own  servants,  were 
employed;  and  there  was  much  bustle  and  stir  about 
the  premises.  Considerable  out-door  work  was  yet  to 
be  done — fences  to  be  made,  gardens  and  orchards  to 
be  arranged  and  planted,  and  the  grounds  about  the 
house  to  be  laid  out  and  adorned  with  shubbery  and 
flower  beds.  When  this  work  was  finally  accomplished, 
the  grounds  were  indeed  beautiful.  The  walks  were 
graveled,  and  led  through  a  profusion  of  shrubbery 
and  flower  beds.  There  was  almost  every  variety  of 
roses;  while,  scattered  over  the  grounds,  there  were 
spruce,  pine  and  juniper  trees,  and  some  rare  varieties, 
seldom  seen  in  this  northern  climate.  Around  the 
grounds  was  set  a  cedar  hedge,  and,  in  time,  the 
place  became  noted  for  the  beauty  of  its  shrubbery; 
the  roses  especially  were  marvelous  in  the  richness 
and  variety  of  their  colors,  their  fragrance  and  the 
luxuriousness  of  their  growth.     People  who  have  never 


SOCIAL  AND  OTHER  ASPECTS  OP  SLAVERY.       65 

traveled  in  the  South  have  little  idea  of  the  richness 
and  profusion  of  its  flowers,  especially  of  its  roses. 
Among-  the  climbing-  plants,  which  adorned  the  house, 
the  most  beautiful  and  fragrant  was  the  African 
honeysucle — its  ordor  was  indeed  delightful. 

THE    GARDEN. 

One  of  the  institutions  of  the  place  was  the  veg- 
etable garden.  This  was  established  not  only  for  the 
convenience  and  comfort  of  the  family,  but  to  furnish 
employment  for  the  slaves.  Under  the  care  of  Uncle 
Gooden,  the  garduer,  it  nourished  greatly;  and  there 
was  so  much  more  produced  than  the  family  could  use, 
Boss  concluded  to  sell  the  surplus.  The  gardner, 
therefore,  went  to  the  city,  every  morning,  with  a  load 
of  vegetables,  which  brought  from  eight  to  ten  dol- 
lars daily,  and  this  the  madam  took  for  "  pin  money." 
In  the  spring  I  had  always  to  help  the  gardner  in  set- 
ting out  plants  and  preparing  beds;  and,  as  this  was 
in  connection  with  my  other  work,  I  became  so  tired 
sometimes  that  I  could  hardly  stand.  All  the  veget- 
ables raised  were  fine,  and  at  that  time  brought  a 
good  price.  The  first  cabbage  that  we  sold  in  the 
markets  brought  twenty-five  cents  a  head.  The  first 
sweet  potatoes  marketed   always  brought  a  dollar  a 


66  THIRTY  YEARS  A  SLAVE. 

peck,  or  four  dollars  a  bushel.  The  Memphis  market 
regulations  required  that  all  vegetables  be  washed  be- 
fore being-  exposed  for  sale.  Corn  was  husked,  and 
everything-  was  clean  and  inviting.  Any  one  found 
guilty  of  selling,  or  exhibiting  for  sale,  vegetables  of 
a  previous  day  was  fined,  at  once,  by  the  market 
master.  This  rule  was  carried  out  to  the  letter. 
Nothing  stale  could  be  sold,  or  even  come  into  market. 
The  rules  required  that  all  poultr}-  be  dressed  before 
being  brought  to  market.  The  entrails  were  cleaned 
and  strung  and  sold  separately — usually  for  about  ten 
cents  a  string. 

PROFUSION    OF    FLOWERS. 

Flowers  grew  in  profusion  everywhere  through  the 
south,  and  it  has,  properly,  been  called  the  land  of 
flowers.  But  flowers  had  no  such  sale  there  as  have 
our  flowers  here  in  the  north.  The  pansy  and  many 
of  our  highly  prized  plants  and  flowers  grew  wild, in 
the  south.  The  people  there  did  not  seem  to  care  for 
flowers  as  we  do.  I  have  sold  many  bouquets  for  a 
dime,  and  very  beautiful  ones  for  fifteen  and  twent}r 
cents,  that  would  sell  in  the  north  for  fifty  to  seventy- 
five  cents. 


SOCIAL  AND  OTHER  ASPECTS  OF  SLAVERY.       67 
THE    FRUIT   ORCHARD. 

The  new  place  had  an  orchard  of  about  four  acres, 
consisting-  of  a  variety  of  apple,  peach,  pear  and 
plum  trees.  Boss  hired  an  expert  gardner  to  teach 
me  the  art  of  grafting,  %nd,  after  some  practice,  I 
became  quite  skilled  in  this  work.  Some  of  the  pear 
trees  that  had  been  grafted  had  three  different  kinds 
of  fruit  on  them,  and  others  had  three  kinds  of  apples 
on  them  besides  the  pears.  This  grafting  I  did 
myself,  and  the  trees  were  considered  very  fine  by 
Boss.  Another  part  of  my  work  was  the  trimming  of 
the  hedge  and  the  care  of  all  the  shrubbery. 

I    PRACTICE    MEDICINE   AMONG  THE   SEAVES. 

McGee  had  a  medicine  chest  built  into  the  wall  of 
the  new  house.  The  shelves  for  medicine  were  of 
wood,  and  the  arrangement  was  very  convenient.  It 
was  really  a  small  drug  store.  It  contained  every- 
thing in  the  way  of  drugs  that  was  necessary  to  use 
in  doctoring  the  slaves.  We  had  quinine,  castor-oil, 
alcohol  and  ipecac  in  great  quantities,  as  these  were 
the  principal  drugs  used  in  the  limited  practice  in  the 
home  establishment.  If  a  servant  came  from  the  field 
to  the  house  with  a  chill,  which  was  frequent,  the 
first  thing  we  did  was  to  give  him  a  dose  of  ipecac  to 


68  THIRTY  YEARS  A  SLAVE. 

vomit  him.  On  the  evening-  after,  we  would  give 
him  two  or  three  of  Cook's  pills.  These  pills  we 
made  at  home,  I  always  had  to  prepare  the  medicines, 
and  give  the  dose,  the  Boss  standing  by  dictating. 
Working  with  medicine,  giving  it  and  caring  for  the 
sick  were  the  parts  of  my  work  that  I  liked  best. 
Boss  used  Dr.  Gunn's  book  altogether  for  recipes  in 
putting  up  medicines.  He  read  me  the  recipe,  while 
I  compounded  it. 

A   SWELL   RECEPTION. 

In  celebration  of  the  opening  of  the  new  house, 
McGee  gave  an  elaborate  reception  and  dinner.  The 
menu  embraced  nearly  everything  that  one  could 
think  of  or  desire,  and  all  in  the  greatest  profusion. 
It  was  a  custom,  not  only  with  the  McGees  but  among 
the  southern  people  generally,  to  make  much  of  eat- 
ing—  it  was  one  of  their  hobbies.  Everything  was 
cooked  well,  and  highly  seasoned.  Scarcity  was 
foreign  to  the  homes  of  the  wealthy  southerners. 

RELATIVES    VISIT    AT   THE    MANSION. 

After  the  family  had  been  settled  about  a  month 
in  the  new  home,  their  relatives  in  Panola  Co.,  Miss., 
Mr.  Jack  McGee,   known  among  the  servants  as  "Old 


SOCIAL  AND  OTHER  ASPECTS  OF  SLAVERY.       69 

Jack,"  Mrs.  Melinda  McGee,  his  wife,  Mrs.  Farring- 
ton,  their  daughter  who  was  a  widow,  and  their  other 
children  Louisa,  Ella  and  William,  all  came  up  for  a 
visit,  and  to  see  the  wonderful  house.  Mr.  Jack 
McGee  was  the  father  of  madam  and  the  uncle  of 
Boss.  My  master  and  mistress  were  therefore  first 
cousins,  and  Boss  sometimes  called  the  old  man  father 
and  at  other  times,  uncle.  Old  Master  Jack,  as  he 
alighted,  said  to  those  behind  him:  "Now  be  careful, 
step  lightly,  Louisa,  this  is  the  finest  house  you  ever 
set  foot  in."  When  all  had  come  into  the  house,  and 
the  old  man  had  begun  to  look  around,  he  said:  "I 
don't  know  what  Edmund  is  thinking-  about-out  to 
build  such  a  house-house."  He  was  very  old,  and  had 
never  lost  all  of  his  Scotch  dialect,  and  he  had  a  habit 
of  repeating  a  part  or  all  of  some  words,  as  in  the 
foregoing  quotation.  The  other  members  of  the 
visiting  family  were  well  pleased  with  the  house,  and 
said  it  was  grand.  They  laughed  and  talked  merrily 
over  the  many  novel  things  which  they  saw.  Mrs. 
Farrington,  who  was  a  gay  widow,  was  naturally 
interested  in  everything.  I  busied  myself  waiting 
upon  them,  and  it  was  late  that  night  before  I  was 
through.     So  many  made  extra  work  for  me. 


70  THIRTY  YEARS  A  SlyAVE. 

ONE  OF  THE  VISITORS  DISTRUSTS  ME. 
The  next  morning-,  after  breakfast,  Boss  and  old 
Master  Jack  went  out  to  view  the  grounds.  They 
took  me  along  so  that  if  anything  was  wanted  I  could 
do  it.  Boss  would  have  me  drive  a  stake  in  some 
place  to  mark  where  he  desired  to  put  something, 
perhaps  some  flowers,  or  a  tree.  He  went  on  through 
the  grounds,  showing  his  father  how  everything  was 
to  be  arranged.  The  old  man  shook  his  head,  and 
said:  "Well,  it's  good,  but  I  am  afraid  you'll  spoil 
these  niggers-niggers.  Keep  you  eye  on  that  boy  Lou, 
(meaning  me)  he  is  slippery-slippery,  too  smart-art." 
"Oh!  I'll  manage  that,  Father,"  said  Boss.  "Well, 
see  that  you  do-oo,  for  I  see  running  away  in  his 
ej-es."  One  of  the  things  that  interested  old  Master 
Jack  was  the  ringing  of  the  dinner  bell.  "Well,  I  do 
think,"  said  the  old  man,  "that  boy  can  ring  a  bell 
better  than  anbody  I  ever  heard.  Why,  its  got  a 
regular  tune."  I  used  to  try  to  see  how  near  I  could 
come  to  making  it  say,  come  to  dinner. 

THE    MADAM    IN    A    RAGE. 

The  four  days  soon  passed,  and  all  the  company 
gone,  we  were  once  more  at  our  regular  work.  Delia, 
the  cook,    seemingty  had  not  pleased   the  madam  in 


SOCIAL  AND  OTHER  ASPECTS  OF  SLAVERY.       71 

her  cooking-  while  the  company  were  there;  so,  the 
morning-  after  they  left,  she  went  toward  the  kitchen, 
calling:  "Delia,  Delia."  Delia  said:  "Dah!  I  wonder 
what  she  wants  now."  By  this  time  she  was  in  the 
kitchen,  confronting  Delia  Her  face  was  flushed  as 
she  screamed  out:  "What  kind  of  biscuits  were  those 
you  baked  this  week?  "  "I  think  they  were  all  right, 
Mis  Sarh."  "Hush!"  screamed  out  the  madam, 
stamping  her  foot  to  make  it  more  emphatic.  "You 
did  not  half  cook  them,"  said  she;  "  they  were  not 
beat  enough.  Those  waffles  were  ridiculous,"  said 
the  madam.  "Well,  Mis  Sarh,  I  tried."  "Stop!" 
cried  Madam  in  a  rage,  "  I'll  give  you  thunder  if  you 
dictate  to  me."  Not  a  very  elegant  display  in  lan- 
guage or  manner  for  a  great  lady!  Old  Aunt  Delia, 
who  was  used  to  these  occurances,  said:  "My  Lord! 
dat  woman  dunno  what  she  wants.  Ah!  Lou,  there  is 
nothing  but  the  devil  up  here,  (meaning  the  new 
home);  can't  do  nothin  to  please  her  up  here  in  dis 
fine  house.  I  tell  you  Satan  neber  git  his  own  til  he 
git  her."  They  did  not  use  baking  powder,  as  we  do 
now,  but  the  biscuits  were  beaten  until  light  enough. 
Twenty  minutes  was  the  time  allotted  for  this  work ; 
but   when    company   came    there  was  so  much  to  be 


72  THIRTY  YEARS  A  SLAVE. 

done  —  so  many  more  dishes  to  prepare,  that  Delia 
would,  perhaps,  not  have  so  much  time  for  each  meal. 
But  there  was  no  allowance  made.  It  was  never 
thought  reasonable  that  a  servant  should  make  a  mis- 
take —  things  must  always  be  the  same.  I  was 
listening-  to  this  quarrel  between  madam  and  Delia, 
supposing-  my  time  would  come  next;  but  for  that 
once  she  said  nothing  to  me. 

THE   MADAM'S   SEVERITY. 

Mrs.  McGee  was  naturally  irritable.  Servants 
always  got  an  extra  whipping  when  she  had  any 
personal  trouble,  as  though  they  could  help  it. 
Every  morning  little  Kate,  Aunt  Delia's  little  girl, 
would  have  to  go  with  the  madam  on  her  rounds  to 
the  different  buildings  of  the  establishment,  to  carry 
the  key  basket.  So  many  were  the  keys  that  they 
were  kept  in  a  basket  especially  provided  for  them, 
and  the  child  was  its  regular  bearer.  The  madam,  with 
this  little  attendant,  was  everywhere — in  the  barn, 
in  the  hennery,  in  the  smokehouse — and  she  always 
made  trouble  with  the  servants  wherever  she  went. 
Indeed,  she  rarely  returned  to  the  house  from  these 
rounds  without  having  whipped  two  or  three  servants, 
whether  there   was  really  any  cause  for  the  punish- 


SOCIAL  AND  OTHER  ASPECTS  OF  SLAVERY.       73 

ment  or  not.  She  seldom  let  a  day  pass  without  beat- 
ing- some  poor  woman  unmercifully.  The  number 
and  severity  of  these  whipping's  depended  more  upon 
the  humor  of  the  madam  than  upon  the  conduct  of 
the  slaves.  Of  course,  I  always  came  in  for  a  share 
in  this  brutal  treatment.  She  continued  her  old  habit 
of  boxing  my  jaws,  pinching  my  ears;  no  day  ever 
passing  without  her  indulging  in  this  exercise  of  her 
physical  powers.  So  long  had  I  endured  this,  I  came 
to  expect  it,  no  matter  how  well  I  did  my  duties;  and 
it  had  its  natural  effect  upon  me,  making  me  a  cow- 
ard, even  though  I  was  now  growing  into  manhood. 
I  remember  once,  in  particular,  when  I  had  tried  to 
please  her  by  arranging  the  parlor,  I  overheard  her 
say:  "  They  soon  get  spirit — it  don't  do  to  praise 
servants."  My  heart  sank  within  me.  What  good 
was  it  for  me  to  try  to  please?  She  would  find 
fault  anyway.  Her  usual  morning  greeting  was: 
"Well,  Lou,  have  you  dusted  the  parlors?"  "Oh, 
yes,"  I  would  answer.  "Have  the  flowers  been  ar- 
ranged?" "Yes,  all  is  in  readiness,"  I  would  say. 
Once  I  had  stoned  the  steps  as  usual,  but  the  madam 
grew  angry  as  soon  as  she  saw  them.  I  had  labored 
hard,  and  thought  she  would  be  pleased.     The  result, 


74  THIRTY  YEARS  A  SLAVE. 

however,  was  very  far  from  that.  She  took  me  out, 
stripped  me  of  my  shirt  and  began  thrashing-  me,  say- 
ing- I  was  spoiled.  I  was  no  longer  a  child,  but  old 
enough  to  be  treated  differently.  I  began  to  cr}T,  for 
it  seemed  to  me  nry  heart  would  break.  But,  after  the 
first  burst  of  tears,  the  feeling  came  over  me  that  I 
was  a  man,  and  it  was  an  outrage  to  treat  me  so — to 
keep  me  under  the  lash  day  after  day. 

A    SHOCKING    ACCIDENT. 

Not  long  after  Mrs.  Farrington  had  made  her  first 
visit  to  our  house,  she  came  there  to  live.  Celia  had 
been  acting  as  her  maid.  When  Mrs.  Farrington  had 
been  up  some  months,  it  was  decided  that  all  the 
family  should  go  down  to  old  Master  Jack's  for  a 
visit.  Celia,  the  maid,  had  been  so  hurried  in  the 
preparations  for  this  visit  that  she  had  done  nothing 
for  herself.  The  night  before  the  family  was  to 
leave,  therefore,  she  was  getting  ready  a  garment  for 
herself  to  wear  on  the  trip;  and  it  was  supposed  that 
she  sewed  until  midnight,  or  after,  when  she  fell 
asleep,  letting  the  goods  fall  into  the  candle.  All  at 
once,  a  little  after  twelve  o'clock,  I  heard  a  scream, 
then  a  cry  of  "fire!  fire!"  and  Boss  yelling:  "  Louis! 
Louis!"     I  jumped  up,  throwing  an  old  coat  over  me, 


SOCIAL  AND  OTHER  ASPECTS  OF  SLAVERY.       75 

and  ran  up  stairs,  in  the  direction  of  Mrs.  Farring- 
ton's  room,  I  encountered  Boss  in  the  hall;  and,  as  it 
was  darK  and  the  smoke  stifling-,  I  could  hardly  make 
any  headway.  At  this  moment  Mrs.  Farrington 
threw  her  door  open,  and  screemed  for  "Cousin 
Eddie,"  meaning  McGee.  He  hurriedly  called  to  me 
to  get  a  pitcher  of  water  quick.  I  grasped  the  pitcher 
from  the  stand,  and  he  attempted  to  throw  the  water 
on  Celia,  who  was  all  in  a  blaze,  running  around  like 
a  mad  woman;  but  the  pitcher  slipped  from  his  hand 
and  broke,  very  little  of  the  water  reaching  her.  She 
was  at  last  wrapped  in  an  old  blanket,  to  extinguish 
the  flames;  but  she  was  burned  too  badly  to  recover. 
Boss,  being  a  physician,  said  at  once:  "Poor  girl, 
poor  girl!  she  is  burned  to  death."  He  did  all  he 
could  for  her,  wrapped  her  in  linen  sheets,  and  en- 
deavored to  relieve  her  sufferings,  but  all  was  of  no 
avail — she  had  inhaled  the  flame,  injuring  her  in- 
ternally, and  lived  only  a  few  days. 

master's  new  cotton   plantation. 

Shortly  after  Boss  bought  his  home  in  Memphis, 

he  bought  a  large  farm  in  Bolivar,   Miss.     It  was  a 

regular  cotton  farm,  on  the  Missippi  river,  embracing 

200   acres.     The   houses   built    for    the   slaves    were 


76  THIRTY  YEARS  A  SLAVE. 

frame,  eighteen  in  number,  each  to  contain  three  or 
four  families,  and  arranged  on  each  side  of  a  street 
that  ran  through  the  farm.  This  street  was  all  grassed 
over,  but  there  were  no  sidewalks.  All  the  buildings 
— the  barn,  gin-house,  slaves'  quarters  and  overseers' 
house — were  whitewashed,  and  on  this  grass-grown 
street  they  made  a  neat  and  pretty  appearance.  The 
house  where  the  Boss  and  the  madam  staid,  when 
they  went  down  to  the  farm,  was  about  two  hundred 
yards  from  the  slaves'  quarters.  It  was  arranged  in 
two  appartments,  one  for  the  overseer  and  wife,  and 
the  other  for  the  master  and  mistress  upon  the  occa- 
sion of  their  visits.  This  building  was  separated 
from  the  other  buildings  by  a  fence.  There  was  what 
was  called  the  cook  house,  where  was  cooked  all  the 
food  for  the  hands.  Aunt  Matilda  was  cook  in  charge. 
Besides  the  buildings  already  named,  there  were 
stables,  a  blacksmith  shop  and  sawmill;  and  the 
general  order  of  arrangement  was  carried  out  with  re- 
spect to  all — the  appearance  was  that  of  a  village. 
EvenTthing  was  raised  in  abundance,  to  last  from  one 
crop  to  the  next.  Vegetables  and  meat  were  provided 
from  the  farm,  and  a  dairy  of  fifty  cows  furnished  all 
the  milk  and  butter  needed. 


SOCIAL  AND  OTHER  ASPECTS  OE  SLAVERY.       77 

The  cane  brakes  were  so  heavy  that  it  was  com- 
mon for  bears  to  hide  there,  and,  at  night,  come  out 
and  carry  off  hog's.  Wolves  were  plenty  in  the  woods 
behind  the  farm,  and  could  be  heard  at  any  time. 
The  cane  was  so  thick  that  when  they  were  clearing 
up  new  ground,  it  would  have  to  be  set  on  fire,  and 
the  cracking  that  would  ensue  was  like  the  continuous 
explosion  of  small  fire  crackers. 

About  one  hundred  and  sixty  slaves,  besides 
children,  all  owned  by  McGee,  were  worked  on  the 
farm.  Instead  of  ginning  two  or  three  bales  of  cotton 
a  day,  as  at  Pontotoc,  they  ginned  six  to  seven  bales 
here. 

incidents. 

I  remember  well  the  time  when  the  great  Swedish 
singer,  Jenny  Lind,  came  to  Memphis.  It  was  during 
her  famous  tour  through  America,  in  1851.  Our 
folks  were  all  enthused  over  her.  Boss  went  in  and 
secured  tickets  to  her  concert,  and  I  was  summoned 
to  drive  them  to  the  hall.  It  was  a  great  event. 
People  swarmed  the  streets  like  bees.  The  carriages 
and  hacks  were  stacked  back  from  the  hall  as  far  as 
the  eye  could  reach. 

On    another   occasion,    when    the    great    prodigy, 


78  THIRTY  YEARS  A  SLAVE. 

Blind  Tom,  came  to  Memphis,  there  was  a  similar 
stir  among-  the  people.  Tom  was  very  young"  then, 
and  he  was  called  the  Blind  Boy.  People  came  from 
far  and  near  to  hear  him.  Those  coming  from  the 
villages  and  small  towns,  who  could  not  get  passage 
on  the  regular  trains,  came  in  freight  or  on  flat 
bottom  cars.  The  tickets  were  $5.00  each,  as  I 
remember,  Boss  said  it  was  expensive,  but  all  must 
hear  this  boy  pianist.  Many  were  the  comments  on 
this  boy  of  such  wonderful  talents.  As  I  drove  our 
people  home  they  seemed  to  talk  of  nothing  else. 
They  declared  that  he  was  indeed  a  wonder. 

LONGING    FOR    FREEDOM. 

Sometimes  when  the  farm  hands  were  at  work, 
peddlers  would  come  along;  and,  as  they  were  treated 
badly  by  the  rich  planters,  they  hated  them,  and 
talked  to  the  slaves  in  a  way  to  excite  them  and  set 
them  thinking  of  freedom.  They  would  say  en- 
couragingly to  them:  "Ah!  You  will  be  free  some 
day."  But  the  down-trodden  slaves,  some  of  whom 
were  bowed  with  age,  with  frosted  hair  and  furrowed 
cheek,  would  answer,  looking  up  from  their  work: 
"  We  don't  blieve  dat;  my  grandfather  said  we  was  to 
be  free,  but  we  aint  free  yet."      It  had  been  talked  of 


SOCIAL  AND  OTHER  ASPECTS  OF  SLAVERY.       79 

(this  freedom)  from  generation  to  generation.  Per- 
haps they  would  not  have  thought  of  freedom,  if  their 
owners  had  not  been  so  cruel/  Had  my  mistress  been 
more  kind  to  me,  I  should  have  thought  less  of 
liberty.  I  know  the  cruel  treatment  which  I  received 
was  the  main  thing  that  made  me  wish  to  be  free. 
Besides  this,  it  was  inhuman  to  separate  families  as 
they  did.  Think  of  a  mother  being  sold  from  all  her 
children  —  separated  for  life!  This  separation  was 
common,  and  many  died  heart-broken,  by  reason  of  it. 
Ah!  I  cannot  forget  the  cruel  separation  from  my 
mother.  I  know  not  what  became  of  her,  but  I  have 
always  believed  her  dead  many  years  ago.  Hundreds 
were  separated,  as  my  mother  and  I  were,  and  never 
met  again.  Though  freedom  was  }rearned  for  by 
some  because  the  treatment  was  so  bad,  others,  who 
were  bright  and  had  looked  into  the  matter,  knew  it 
was  a  curse  to  be  held  a  slave  —  they  longed  to  stand 
out  in  true  manhood  —  allowed  to  express  their 
opinions  as  were  white  men.  Others  still  desired 
freedom,  thinking  they  could  then  reclaim  a  wife,  or 
husband,  or  children.  The  mother  would  again  see 
her  child.  All  these  promptings  of  the  heart  made 
them  3-earn  for  freedom.       New  Year's  was  always  a 


80  THIRTY  YEARS  A  SLAVE. 

heart-rending"  time,  for  it  was  then  the  slaves  were 
bought  and  sold;  and  they  stood  in  constant  fear  of 
losing  some  one  dear  to  them  —  a  child,  a  husband,  or 
wife. 

MY    FIRST    BREAK    FOR    FREEDOM. 

In  the  new  home  my  duties  were  harder  than  ever. 
The  McGees  held  me  with  tighter  grip,  and  it  was 
nothing  but  cruel  abuse,  from  morning  till  night. 
So  I  made  up  my  mind  to  try  and  run  away  to  a  free 
countr}'.  I  used  to  hear  Boss  read  sometimes,  in  the 
papers,  about  runaway  slaves  who  had  gone  to 
Canada,  and  it  always  made  me  long  to  go;  yet  I 
never  appeared  as  if  I  paid  the  slightest  attention  to 
what  the  famil}-  read  or  said  on  such  matters;  but  I 
felt  that  I  could  be  like  others,  and  try  at  least  to  get 
away.  One  morning,  when  Boss  had  gone  to  town, 
Madam  had  threatened  to  whip  me,  and  told  me  to 
come  to  the  house.  When  she  called  me  I  did  not  go, 
but  went  off  down  through  the  garden  and  through 
the  woods,  and  made  my  way  for  the  cit}*.  When  I 
got  into  Memphis,  I  found  at  the  landing  a  boat 
called  the  Statesman,  and  I  sneaked  aboard.  It  was 
not  expected  that  the  boat  would  stay  more  than  a 
few  hours,  but,    for  some  reason,   it  stayed  all  night. 


SOCIAL  AND  OTHER  ASPECTS  OF  SLAVERY.       81 

The  boat  was  loaded  with  sugar,  and  I  hid  myself 
behind  four  hogsheads.  I  could  see  both  engineers, 
one  each  side  of  me,  When  night  came  on,  I  crept 
out  from  my  hiding  place,  and  went  forward  to  search 
for  food  and  water,  for  I  was  thirsty  and  very  hungr}\ 
I  found  the  table  where  the  deck  hands  had  been 
eating,  and  managed  to  get  a  little  food,  left  from 
their  meal,  and  some  water.  This  was  by  no  means 
enough,  but  I  had  to  be  content,  and  went  back  to  my 
place  of  concealment.  I  had  been  on  board  the  boat 
three  days;  and,  on  the  third  night,  when  I  came  out 
to  hunt  food,  the  second  mate  saw  me.  In  a  minute 
he  eyed  me  over  and  said:  "Why,  I  have  a  reward  for 
you."  In  a  second  he  had  me  go  up  stairs  to  the 
captain.  This  raised  a  great  excitement  among  the 
passengers;  and,  in  a  minute,  I  was  besieged  with 
numerous  questions.  Some  spoke  as  if  they  were 
sorry  for  me,  and  said  if  they  had  known  I  was  a  poor 
runaway  slave  they  would  have  slipped  me  ashore. 
The  whole  boat  was  in  alarm.  It  seemed  to  me  they 
were  consulting  slips  of  paper.  One  said:  "Yes,  he 
is  the  same.     Listen  how  this  reads:" 

"Ran  away  from  Edmund  McGee,  1113'  mulatto  boy  Louis, 
5  feet  6  inches  in  height,   black  hair,   is  very   bright  and  in- 


82  THIRTY  YEARS  A  SLAVE. 

telligent.       Will    give  $500    for    him    alive,    and    half  of   this 
amount  for  knowledge  that  he  has  been  killed." 

My  heart  sprang-  into  my  throat  when  I  heard  two 
men  read  this  advertisement.  I  knew,  at  once, 
what  it  all  meant,  remembering-  how  often  I  had 
heard  Boss  read  such  articles  from  the  papers  and 
from  the  handbills  that  were  distributed  through  the 
city.  The  captain  asked  me  if  I  could  dance.  It 
seemed  he  felt  sorry  for  me,  for  he  said:  "That's  a 
bright  boy  to  be  a  slave.'1  Then  turning  to  me  he 
said:  "Come,  give  us  a  dance."  I  was  young  and 
nimble,  so  I  danced  a  few  of  the  old  southern  clog 
dances,  and  sang  one  or  two  songs,  like  this: 

"Come  along,  Sam,  the  fifer's  son, 

Aint  you  mighty  glad  your  day's  work's  done?" 

After  I  finished  singing  and  dancing,  the  captain 
took  up  a  collection  for  me  and  got  about  two  dollars. 
This  cheered  me  a  good  deal.  I  knew  that  I  would 
need  money  if  I  should  ever  succeed  in  getting  on. 

On  the  following  evening,  when  we  reached  West 
Franklin,  Indiana,  while  the  passengers  were  at  tea, 
another  boat  pushed  into  port  right  after  ours.  Imme- 
diately a   gentleman  passenger  came  to  me  hurriedly  ^ 


SOCIAL  AND  OTHER  ASPECTS  OE  SLAVERY.       83 

and  whispered  to  me  to  go  down  stairs,  jump  out  on 
the  bow  of  the  other  boat,  and  go  ashore.  I  was 
alarmed,  but  obeyed,  for  I  felt  that  he  was  a  friend  to 
slaves.  I  went  out  as  quietly  as  I  could,  and  was  not 
missed  until  I  had  gotten  on  shore.  Then  I  heard 
the  alarm  given  that  the  boy  was  gone  —  that  the 
runaway  was  gone.  But  I  sped  on,  and  did  not  stop 
until  I  had  run  through  the  village,  and  had  come  to 
a  road  that  led  right  into  the  country.  I  took  this 
road  and  went  on  until  I  had  gone  four  or  five  miles, 
when  I  came  to  a  farm  house.  Before  reaching  it, 
however,  I  met  two  men  on  horseback,  on  their  way 
to  the  village.  They  passed  on  without  special^ 
noticing  me,  and  I  kept  on  my  way  until  reaching  the 
farmhouse.  I  was  so  hungry,  I  went  in  and  asked 
for  food.  While  I  was  eating,  the  men  whom  I  had 
met  rode  up.  They  had  been  to  the  village,  and, 
learning  that  a  runaway  slave  was  wanted,  and 
remembering  meeting  me,  they  returned  in  hot  haste, 
in  hope  of  finding  me  and  securing  the  reward.  They 
hallooed  to  the  people  in  the  house,  an  old  woman 
and  her  daughter,  whom  they  seemed  to  know, 
saying:  "  There  is  a  runaway  nigger  out,  who  stole 
off  a  boat  this  evening."    The  old  lady  said,  "  Come," 


84  THIRTY  YEARS  A  SLAVE. 

becoming-  frightened  at  once.  When  they  came  in 
they  began  to  question  me.  I  trembled  all  over  but 
answered  them.  They  said:  "You  are  the  fellow 
we  want,  who  ran  off  the  boat."  I  was  too  scared  to 
den}*-  it;  so  I  owned  I  was  on  the  boat,  and  stole  off. 
They  did  not  tarr}-  long,  but,  taking  me  with  them, 
they  went,  about  a  mile  and  a  half,  to  their  house. 
The}-  planned  and  talked  all  the  way,  and  one  said: 
"We  are  good  for  $75.00  for  him  anyway."  The 
next  morning  the}'  took  me  into  the  village.  They 
soon  found  out  that  the  engineer,  by  order  of  the 
captain,  had  stayed  over  to  search  for  me.  A  lawsuit 
followed,  and  I  was  taken  before  the  magistrate  before 
the  engineer  could  get  possession  of  me.  There  was 
a  legal  course  that  had  to  be  gone  through  with.  A 
lawyer,  Fox  by  name,  furnished  the  $75.00  for  the 
men  who  had  caught  me.  That  part  of  the  case  being 
settled,  Fox  and  the  engineer  started  for  Evansville, 
Ind.,  that  same  night.  Upon  arriving  there,  Fox  re- 
ceived from  the  captain  of  the  boat  the  money  he  had 
advanced  to  the  men  who  caught  me;  and  we  went 
on,  arriving  at  Louisville,  Ky.,  the  next  day.  I  was 
then  taken  again  before  a  magistrate,  by  the  captain, 
when  the  following  statement  was  read  b}-  that 
official: 


SOCIAL  AND  OTHER  ASPECTS  OF  SLAVERY.       85 

"  Captain  Montgomery  brought  forth  a  003%  and  said  he 
is  the  property  of  Edmund  McGee,  of  Memphis,  Tenn.  Come 
forth  owner,  and  prove  property,  for  after  the  boy  shall  re- 
main in  jail  six  months  he  shall  be  sold  to  pay  jail  feed." 

Mr.  McGee  was  informed  of  my  whereabouts,  and 
it  was  not  long  before  he  and  his  cousin  came  to  get 
me.  When  they  came,  I  was  called  up  by  the  nick- 
name they  had  given  me,  "  Memphis."  "  Come  out 
here,  'Memphis,'"  said  the  turnkey,  "your  master 
has  come  for  you."  I  went  down  stairs  to  the  office, 
and  found  Boss  waiting-  for  me.  "Hello,  Lou!" 
said  he,  "  what  are  }tou  doing-  here,  you  dog?  "  I  was 
so  frightened  I  said  nothing.  Of  course,  some  few 
words  were  passed  between  him  and  the  officers.  I 
heard  him  say  that  I  was  a  smart  fellow,  and  he  could 
not  tell  why  I  had  run  away;  that  he  had  always 
treated  me  well.  This  was  to  impress  the  officers  with 
the  idea  that  he  was  not  unkind  to  his  slaves.  The 
slave-holders  all  hated  to  be  classed  as  bad  task- 
masters. Yet  nearly  all  of  them  were.  The  clothes 
I  wore  were  jail  property,  and  he  could  not  take  me 
away  in  them;  so  we  started  to  go  up  town  to  get 
others.  As  we  passed  out  the  jailor,  Buckhanon,  said: 
"Ain't  you  going  to  put  hand-cuffs  on  him?  "     "  Oh, 


86  THIRTY  YEARS  A  SLAVE. 

no!  "  said  Boss.  After  I  was  taken  to  the  store  and 
fitted  with  a  new  suit  of  clothes,  he  brought  me  back 
to  the  jail,  where  I  washed  myself  and  put  on  the 
new  garments.  When  all  was  complete,  and  I  seemed 
to  suit  master's  fastidious  e}'e,  he  took  me  to  the  Gault 
House,  where  he  was  stopping-.  In  the  evening-  we 
started  for  home,  and  reached  Memphis  the  following 
day.  Boss  did  not  flog  me,  as  I  expected,  but  sent  me 
to  my  regular  routine  work.  We  had  been  in  this  new 
home  so  short  a  time  he  did  not  want  it  to  be  rumored 
that  he  whipped  his  slaves,  he  was  so  stylish  and  rich. 
But  the  madam  was  filled  with  rage,  although  she  did 
not  say  much.  I  think  they  saw  that  I  was  no  longer  a 
child — they  feared  I  would  go  again.  But  after  I  had 
been  home  some  three  or  four  weeks,  Madam  Sarah 
commenced  her  old  tricks — attempting  to  whip  me, 
box  my  jaws  and  pinch  me.  If  any  little  thing  was 
not  pleasing  to  her  at  meal  time,  it  was  a  special  de- 
light for  her  to  reach  out,  when  I  drew  near  to  her 
to  pass  something,  and  give  me  a  blow  with  her  hand. 
Truly  it  was  a  monstrous  domestic  institution  that 
not  only  tolerated,  but  fostered,  such  an  exhibition  of 
table  manners  by  a  would-be  fine  lady — such  vulgar 
spite  and  cruelt}*! 


SOCIAL  AND  OTHER  ASPECTS  OF  SLAVERY.       87 
MY    SECOND    RUNAWAY    TRIP. 

About  three  months  after  1113'  first  attempt  to  get 
away,  I  thought  I  would  try  it  again.  I  went  to 
Memphis,  and  saw  a  boat  at  the  landing,  called  the 
John  Lirozey,  a  Cincinnati  packet.  This  boat  carried 
the  mail.  She  had  come  into  port  in  the  morning, 
and  was  being  unloaded.  I  went  aboard  in  the  after- 
noon and  jumped  down  into  the  hull.  Boss  had  been 
there  in  the  fore  part  of  the  afterooon  inquiring  for 
me,  but  I  did  not  know  it  then.  After  I  had  been  in  the 
boat  some  time,  the  men  commenced  loading  it.  I 
crept  up  in  the  corner  and  hid  myself.  At  first  two 
or  three  hundred  dry  and  green  hides  were  thrown  in, 
and  these  hid  me;  but  later  on  two  or  three  tiers  of 
cotton  bales  were  put  in  the  center  of  the  hull,  and, 
when  the  boat  started,  I  got  upon  the  top  of  these, 
and  lay  there.  I  could  hear  the  people  talking  above 
me,  but  it  was  so  dark  I  could  not  see  anything — it 
was  dark  as  a  dungeon.  I  had  lain  there  two  nights 
and  began  to  get  so  weak  and  faint  I  could  stand  it  no 
longer.  For  some  reason  the  boat  did  not  start  the 
day  I  went  aboard,  consequently,  I  had  not  gotten  as 
far  from  home  as  I  expected,  and  my  privations  had 
largely  been  in  vain.     Despairing  and  hungr}-,  on  the 


88  THIRTY  YEARS  A  SLAVE. 

third  day,  I  commenced  howling-  and  screaming-,  hop- 
ing that  some  one  would  hear  me,  and  come  to  my  re- 
lief, for  almost  anything  else  would  have  been  prefer- 
able to  the  privation  and  hunger  from  which  I  was 
suffering.  But  I  could  make  no  one  hear,  at  least  no 
one  paid  any  attention  to  my  screams,  if  they  did 
hear.  In  the  evening,  however,  one  of  the  deck 
hands  came  in  with  a  lantern  to  look  around  and  see 
everything  was  all  right.  I  saw  the  light  and  fol- 
lowed him  out,  but  I  had  been  out  of  my  hiding  only 
a  short  time  when  I  was  discovered  by  a  man  who 
took  me  up  stairs  to  the  captain.  It  was  an  effort  for 
me  to  walk  up  stairs,  as  I  was  weak  and  faint,  having 
neither  eaten  nor  drank  anj^thing  for  three  days. 
This  boat  was  crowded  with  passengers,  and  it  was 
soon  a  scene  of  confusion.  I  was  placed  in  the  pilot's 
room  for  safety,  until  we  arrived  at  a  small  town  in 
Kentucky  called  Monroe.  I  was  put  off  here  to  be 
kept  until  the  packet  came  back  from  Cincinnati. 
Then  I  was  carried  back  to  Memphis,  arriving  about 
one  o'clock  at  night,  and,  for  safe  keeping,  was  put 
into  what  was  called  the  calaboose.  This  was  es- 
pecially for  the  keeping  of  slaves  who  had  run  away 
and    been   caught.     Word    was    sent    to    Boss   of    mv 


SOCIAL  AND  OTHER  ASPECTS  OF  SLAVERY.       89 

capture;  and  the  next  morning-  Thomas  Bland,  a  fel- 
low servant  of  mine,  was  sent  to  take  me  home.  I 
can  not  tell  how  I  felt,  for  the  only  thought  that  came 
to  me  was  that  I  should  get  killed.  The  madam  met 
us  as  we  drove  into  the  yard.  "  Ah!  "  she  said  to  me, 
"you  put  up  at  the  wrong  hotel,  sir."  I  was  taken 
to  the  barn  where  stocks  had  been  prepared,  beside 
which  were  a  cowhide  and  a  pail  of  salt  water,  all 
prepared  for  me.  It  was  terrible,  but  there  was  no  es- 
cape. I  was  fastened  in  the  stocks,  my  clothing  re- 
moved, and  the  whipping  began.  Boss  whipped  me  a 
while,  then  he  sat  down  and  read  his  paper,  after 
which  the  whipping  was  resumed.  This  continued 
for  two  hours.  Fastened  as  I  was  in  the  stocks,  I 
could  only  stand  and  take  lash  after  lash,  as  long  as 
he  desired,  the  terrible  rawhide  cutting  into  my  flesh 
at  every  stroke.  Then  he  used  peach  tree  switches, 
which  cracked  the  flesh  so  the.  blood  oozed  out.  After 
this  came  the  paddle,  two  and  a  half  feet  long  and 
three  inches  wide.  Salt  and  water  was  at  once  ap- 
plied to  wash  the  wounds,  and  the  smarting  was 
maddening.  This  torture  was  common  among  the 
southern  planters.  God  only  knows  what  I  suffered 
under  it  all,  and  He  alone  gave  me  strength  to  endure 


90  THIRTY  YEARS  A  SlyAVE. 

it.  I  could  hardly  move  after  the  terrible  ordeal  was 
finished,  and  could  scarcely  bear  my  clothes  to  touch 
me  at  first,  so  sore  was  my  whole  body,  and  it  was 
weeks  before  I  was  myself  again. 

PREACHING    TO    THE    SLAVES. 

As  an  offset,  probably,  to  such  diabolical  cruelties 
as  those  which  were  practiced   upon  me  in   common 
with  nearly  all  the  slaves  in  the  cotton  region  of  the 
south,   it  was  the  custom    in  the   section  of  county 
where  I  lived  to  have  the  white  minister  preach  to  the 
servants  Sunday  afternoon,  after  the  morning-  service 
for  the  whites.     The  white  people  hired  the  minister 
by  the  year  to  preach  for  them  at  their  church.     Then 
he  had  to  preach  to  each  master's  slaves  in  turn.    The 
circuit  was  made  once  a  month,  but  there  was  service 
of    some    kind    every    Sunday.     The    slaves  on    some 
places  gathered  in  the  yard,   at  others   in  the  white 
folks'  school  houses,  and  they  all  seemed  pleased  and 
eager  to  hear  the  word  of  God.     It  was  a  strong  evi- 
dence of  their  native  intelligence  and  discrimination 
that  they  could  discern    the    difference    between    the 
truths  of  the   "word"  and  the  professed   practice  of 
those  truths  by  their  masters.     My  Boss  took  pride  in 
having  all  his  slaves  look  clean  any  tidy  at  the  Sab- 


SOCIAL  AND  OTHER  ASPECTS  OF  SLAVERY.       91 

bath  service;  but  how  would  he  have  liked  to  have  the 
slaves,  with  backs  lacerated  with  the  lash,  appear  in 
those  assemblies  with  their  wounds  uncovered?  The 
question  can  never  be  answered.  The  master  and 
most  of  his  victims  have  gone  where  professions  of 
righteousness  will  not  avail  to  cover  the  barbarities 
practised  here. 

A    FAMILY   OF    FREE    PERSONS    SOLD    INTO    SLAVERY. 

M/y  wife  Matilda  was  born  in  Fayette  county, 
Kentucky,  June  17th,  1830.  It  seems  that  her  mother 
and  her  seven  children  were  to  have  been  free  accord- 
ing- to  the  old  Penns}dvania  law.  There  were  two 
uncles  of  the  family  who  were  also  to  have  been  free, 
but  who  had  been  kept  over  time;  so  they  sued  for 
their  freedom,  and  gained  it.  The  lawyers  in  the 
case  were  abolitionists  and  friends  to  the  slaves,  and 
saw  that  these  men  had  justice.  After  they  had 
secured  their  freedom,  they  entered  suit  for  my  wife's 
mother,  their  sister,  and  her  seven  children.  But  as 
soon  as  the  brothers  entered  this  suit,  Robert  Logan, 
who  claimed  my  wife's  mother  and  her  children  as  his 
slaves,  put  them  into  a  trader's  yard  in  Lexington; 
and,  when  he  saw  that  there  was  a  possibility  of  their 
being   successful   in   securing   their    freedom,    he  put 


92  THIRTY  YEARS  A  SLAVE. 

them  in  jail,  to  be  "sold  down  the  river."  This  was 
a  deliberate  attempt  to  keep  them  from  their  rights, 
for  he  knew  that  they  were  to  have  been  set  free, 
many  years  before;  and  this  fact  was  known  to  all  the 
neighborhood.  My  wife's  mother  was  born  free,  her 
mother,  having-  passed  the  allotted  time  under  a  law, 
had  been  free  for  many  years.  Yet  they  kept  her 
children  as  slaves,  in  plain  violation  of  law  as  well  as 
justice.  The  children  of  free  persons  under  southern 
laws  were  free — this  was  alwa}ys  admitted.  The 
course  of  Logan  in  putting  the  family  in  jail,  for  safe 
keeping  until  they  could  be  sent  to  the  southern 
market,  was  a  tacit  admission  that  he  had  no  legal 
hold  upon  them.  Woods  and  Collins,  a  couple  of 
"nigger  traders, "  were  collecting  a  "drove"  of 
slaves  for  Memphis,  about  this  time,  and,  when  thej^ 
were  read}*-  to  start,  all  the  family  were  sent  off  with 
the  gang;  and,  when  they  arrived  in  Memphis,  they 
were  put  in  the  traders'  yard  of  Nathan  Bedford 
Forrest.  This  Forrest  afterward  became  a  general  in 
the  rebel  army,  and  commanded  at  the  capture  of 
Fort  Pillow;  and,  in  harmoii}-  with  the  debasing 
influences  of  his  early  business,  he  was  responsible 
for  the  fiendish  massacre  of  negroes  after  the  capture 


SOCIAL  AND  OTHER  ASPECTS  OF  SLAVERY.        93 

of  the  fort — an  act  which  will  make  his  name  forever 
infamous.  None  of  this  family  were  sold  to  the  same 
person  except  my  wife  and  one  sister.  All  the  rest 
were  sold  to  different  persons.  The  elder  daughter 
was  sold  seven  times  in  one  day.  The  reason  of  this 
was  that  the  parties  that  bought  her,  finding-  that  she 
was  not  legally  a  slave,  and  that  they  could  get  no 
written  guarantee  that  she  was,  got  rid  of  her  as 
soon  as  possible.  It  seems  that  those  who  bought 
the  other  members  of  the  family  were  not  so  particu- 
lar, and  were  willing  to  run  the  risk.  Thej^  knew 
that  such  things  —  such  outrages  upon  law  and 
justice  —  were  common.  Among  these  was  my  Boss, 
who  bought  two  of  the  girls,  Matilda  and  her  sister 
Mary  Ellen.  Matilda  was  bought  for  a  cook;  her 
sister  was  a  present  to  Mrs.  Farrington,  his  wife's 
sister,  to  act  as  her  maid  and  seamstress.  Aunt 
Delia,  who  had  been  cook,  was  given  another  branch 
of  work  to  do,  and  Matilda  was  installed  as  cook.  I 
remember  well  the  day  she  came.  The  madam 
greeted  her,  and  said:  "  Well,  what  can  you  do,  girl? 
Have  you  ever  done  any  cooking?  Where  are  you 
from? "  Matilda  was,  as  I  remember  her,  a  sad 
picture  to  look  at.     She  had  been  a  slave,  it  is  true, 


94  THIRTY  YEARvS  A  SLAVE, 

but  had  seen  good  days  to  what  the  slaves  down  the 
river  saw.  An}T  one  could  see  she  was  almost  heart- 
broken—  she  never  seemed  happy.  Days  grew  into 
weeks  and  weeks  into  months,  but  the  same  routine 
of  work  went  on. 

MY    MARRIAGE — BIRTH    OF    TWINS. 

Matilda  had  been  there  three  years  when  I  married 
her.  The  Boss  had  always  promised  that  he  would 
give  me  a  nice  wedding-,  and  he  kept  his  word.  He 
was  very  proud,  and  liked  praise.  The  wedding  that 
he  gave  us  was  indeed  a  pleasant  one.  All  the  slaves 
from  their  neighbor  acquaintances  were  invited.  One 
thing  Boss  did  was  a  credit  to  him,  but  it  was  rare 
among  slave-holders  —  he  had  me  married  by  their 
parish  minister.  It  was  a  beautiful  evening,  the  30th 
of  November,  1858,  when  Matilda  and  I  stood  in  the 
parlor  of  the  McGee  house  and  were  solemnly  made 
man  and  wife.  Old  Master  Jack  came  up  from  Panola 
at  that  time,  and  was  there  when  the  ceremony  was 
performed.  As  he  looked  through  his  fingers  at  us, 
he  was  overheard  saying:  "It  will  ruin  them,  givin 
wedins-wedins.11  Things  went  on  as  usual  after  this. 
The  madam  grew  more  irritable  and  exacting,  always 
finding  fault  with   the  servants,    whipping  them,    or 


SOCIAL  AND  OTHER  ASPECTS  OE  SLAVERY.       95 

threatening-  to  do  so,  upon  the  slightest  provocation, 
or  none  at  all.  There  was  something  in  my  wife's 
manner,  however,  which  kept  the  madam  from  whip- 
ping her  —  an  open  or  implied  threat  perhaps  that 
such  treatment  would  not  be  endured  without  resis- 
tance or  protest  of  some  kind.  This  the  madam 
regarded  as  a  great  indignity,  and  she  hated  my  wife 
for  it,  and,  at  times,  was  ready  to  crush  her,  so  great 
was  her  anger.  In  a  year  there  were  born  to  us  twin 
babies;  and  the  madam  now  thought  she  had  my  wife 
tied,  as  the  babies  would  be  a  barrier  to  anything  like 
resistance  on  her  part,  and  there  would  be  no  danger 
of  her  running  awa}\  She,  therefore,  thought  that 
she  could  enjoy,  without  hindrance,  the  privilege  of 
beating  the  woman  of  whose  womanhood  she  had 
theretofore  stood  somewhat  in  fear. 

madam's  cruelty  to  my  wife  and  children. 

Boss  said  from  the  first  that  I  should  give  my  wife 
assistance,  as  she  needed  time  to  care  for  the  babies. 
Really  he  was  not  as  bad  as  the  madam  at  heart,  for 
she  tried  to  see  how  hard  she  could  be  on  us.  She 
gave  me  all  the  extra  work  to  do  that  she  could  think 
of,  apparently  to  keep  me  from  helping  my  wife  in 
the  kitchen.      She  had  all  the  cooking  to  do  for  three 


96  THIRTY  YEARS  A  SLAVE. 

heavy  meals  each  day,  all  the  washing"  and  ironing-  of 
the  finest  clothes,   besides    caring  for  the  babies  be- 
tween   times.     In    the   morning  she  would  nurse  the 
babies,  then  hurry  off  to  the  kitchen  to  get  breakfast 
while  they  were  left  in  charge  of  a  little  girl.     Again 
at  noon  she  repeated    her    visit    to   the  babies,   after 
cooking  the  dinner,  then  in  the  evening,  after  supper, 
she  would  go  to  nurse  them  again.     After  supper  was 
over,  dishes    all    washed    and    kitchen    in    order,  she 
would  then  go  to  the  little  ones  for  the  night.     One 
can  see  that  she  had  very  little  time  with  the  children. 
My  heart  was  sore  and  heavy,  for  my  wife  was  almost 
run  to  death   with  work.       The   children  grew  puny 
and  sickly  for  want  of  proper  care.     The  doctor  said 
it  was  because  the  milk  the  mother  nursed  to  them 
was  so  heated  by  her  constant  and  excessive  labors  as  to 
be  unwholesome,   and  she  never  had  time  to  cool  be- 
fore   ministering    to  them.     So  the  little  things,   in- 
stead of  thriving  and  developing,  as  was  their  right, 
dwindled  toward   the    inevitable  end.       Oh!  we  were 
wretched — our  hearts  ached  for  a  day  which  we  could 
call    our    own.     My    wife    was    a  Christian,   and  had 
learned    to    know    the    worth    of    prayer,     so    would 
always  speak  consolingly.      "  God  will  help  us,"  she 


SOCIAL  AND  OTHER  ASPECTS  OF  SLAVERY.  97 
said:  "  let  us  try  and  be  patient."  Our  trial  went  on, 
until  one  morning-  I  heard  a  great  fuss  in  the  house, 
the  madam  calling  for  the  yard  man  to  come  and  tie 
my  wife,  as  she  could  not  manage  her.  My-  wife  had 
always  refused  to  allow  the  madam  to  whip  her;  but 
now,  as  the  babies  were  here,  mistress  thought  she 
would  try  it  once  more.  Matilda  resisted,  and  madam 
called  for  Boss.  In  a  minute  he  came,  and,  grabbing 
my  wife,  commenced  choking  her,  sa}Ting  to  her: 
"What  do  you  mean?  Is  that  the  way  you  talk  to 
ladies?  "  My  wife  had  only  said  to  her  mistress: 
"You  shall  not  whip  me."  This  made  her  furious, 
hence  her  call  for  Boss.  I  was  in  the  dining  room, 
and  could  hear  everything.  My  blood  boiled  in  my 
veins  to  see  my  wife  so  abused;  }*et  I  dare  not  open 
my  mouth.  After  the  fuss,  my  wife  went  straight  to 
the  laundry.  I  followed  her  there,  and  found  her 
bundling  up  her  babies'  clothes,  which  were  washed 
but  not  ironed.  I  knew  at  a  glance  that  she  was 
going  away.  Boss  had  just  gone  to  the  city;  and  I 
did  not  know  what  to  say,  but  I  told  her  to  do  the  best 
she  could.  Often  when  company  came  and  I  held  the 
horses,  or  did  an  errand  for  them,  the}r  would  tip  me 
to  a  quarter  or  half  a  dollar.     This  money  I  alwa}rs 


98  THIRTY  YEARS  A  SLAVE. 

saved,  and  so  had  a  little  change,  which  I  now  gave 
to  Matilda,  for  her  use  in  her  effort  to  get  away  from 
her  cruel  treatment.  She  started  at  once  for  Forrest's 
trader's  yards,  with  the  babies  in  her  arms  and,  after 
she  got  into  Memphis,  she  stopped  outside  the  yard  to 
rest.  While  she  was  sitting-  on  the  curb  stone,  For- 
rest came  out  of  the  yard  by  the  back  gate  and  saw 
her.  Coming  up  to  her  he  said:  "  M}-  God!  Matilda, 
what  are  you  doing  here?  You  have  changed  so  I 
would  not  have  known  you.  Why  have  }7ou  come 
here?  "  Matilda  said:  "  I  came  back  here  to  be  sold 
again."  He  stepped  back  and  called  another  "  nigger 
trader,"  Collins  by  name,  from  Kentucky.  "  Look 
here,"  said  Forrest,  pointing  to  my  wife-  Collins 
took  in  the  situation  at  once  and  said  he  would  buy 
her  and  the  children.  "That  woman  is  of  a  good 
family,"  said  he,  "and  was  onl}'  sold  to  prevent  her 
from  getting  her  freedom."  She  was  then  taken  into 
the  yard.  "  Oh!  "  said  Forrest,  "I  know  these  Mc- 
Gees,  they  are  hard  colts."  Word  was  then  sent  Mc- 
Gee  that  his  cook  was  in  the  yard  and  had  come  to  be 
sold.  He  went  in  haste  to  the  yard.  Collins  offered 
to  buy  her,  but  McGee  said  no  man's  money  could  buy 
that  woman  and  her  children.     I  raised  her  husband 


SOCIAL  AND  OTHER  ASPECTS  OE  SLAVERY.       99 

and  I  would  not  separate  them.  She  was  brought 
back,  and  as  they  rode  along-  in  the  roekawa}-,  Boss 
said:  "When  I  am  through  with  you  I  guess  you 
won't  run  away  again."  As  they  drove  up  I  saw  the 
madam  go  running  out  to  meet  them.  She  shouted  to 
Matilda:  "  Ah!  madam,  3-ou  put  up  at  the  wrong 
hotel."  The}*  at  once  went  to  the  barn  where  my 
wife  was  tied  to  the  joist,  and  Boss  and  the  madam 
beat  her  by  turns.  After  they  had  finished  the  whip- 
ping, Boss  said,  tauntingly:  "  Now  I  am  buying  3-ou 
and  selling  you — I  want  you  to  know  that  I  never 
shall  sell  you  while  my  head  and  3-ours  is  hot."  I  was 
trembling  from  head  to  foot,  for  I  was  powerless  to 
do  anything  for  her.  My  twin  babies  lived  only  six 
months  after  that,  not  having  had  the  care  they 
needed,  and  which  it  was  impossible  for  their  mother 
to  give  them  while  performing  the  almost  endless 
labor  required  of  her,  under  threats  of  cruel  beatings. 
One  day  not  long  after  our  babies  were  buried  the 
madam  followed  my  wife  to  the  smoke  house  and  said: 
"  I  am  tempted  to  take  that  knife  from  you,  Matilda, 
and  cut  you  in  two.  You  and  old  Ruben  (one  of  the 
slaves)  went  all  around  the  neighborhood  and  told  the 
people  that  I  killed  your  babies,  and  almost  whipped 


100  THIRTY  YEARS  A  SLAVE. 

you  to  death.''  Of  course,  when  the  slaves  were  ac- 
cused falsely,  as  in  this  case,  they  were  not  allowed 
to  make  any  reply — they  just  had  to  endure  in  silence 
whatever  was  said. 

EFFORTS    TO    LEARN    TO    READ    AND    WRITE. 

Thomas,  the  coachman,  and  I  were  fast  friends. 
We  used  to  get  tog-ether  ever}T  time  we  had  a  chance  and 
talk  about  freedom.  "  Oh!  "  Tom  would  say,  "  if  I 
could  only  write.'1  I  remember  when  Tom  first  began 
to  take  lessons  at  night  from  some  plasterers,  work- 
men of  the  neighborhood.  They  saw  that  he  was  so 
anxious  to  learn  that  they  promised  to  teach  him 
every  evening  if  he  would  slip  out  to  their  house.  I, 
too,  was  eager  to  learn  to  read  and  write,  but  did  not 
have  the  opportunity  which  Tom  had  of  getting  out 
at  night.  I  had  to  sleep  in  the  house  where  the  folks 
were,  and  could  not  go  out  without  being  observed, 
while  Tom  had  quarters  in  another  part  of  the  es- 
tablishment, and  could  slip  out  unobserved.  Tom, 
however,  consoled  me  by  saying  that  he  would  teach 
me  as  soon  as  he  knew  how.  So  Tom  one  night  put 
a  copy  of  some  figures  on  the  side  of  the  barn  for  me 
to  practice  from.  I  took  the  chalk  and  imitated  him 
as  near  as  I  could,  but   my  work  was  poor  beside  his, 


SOCIAL  AND  OTHER  ASPECTS  OF  SLAVERY.      101 

as  he  had  been  learning-  for  some  months,  and  could 
make  the  figures  quite  well  and  write  a  little.  Still  I 
kept  trying.  Tom  encouraging  me  and  telling  me 
that  I  would  learn  in  time.  "Just  keep  trying," 
said  he.  When  this  first  lesson  was  over,  I  forgot  to 
rub  out  the  marks  on  the  barn,  and  the  next  morning 
when  Old  Master  Jack,  who  happened  to  be  at  our 
home  just  at  that  time,  went  out  there  and  saw  the 
copy  and  m}-  imitation  of  it,  he  at  once  raised  great 
excitement  by  calling  attention  to  the  rude  characters 
and  wanting  to  know  who  had  done  that.  I  was 
afraid  to  own  that  I  had  done  it;  but  old  Master  Jack 
somehow  surmised  that  it  was  Tom  or  I,  for  he  said' 
to  Boss:  "Edmund,  you  must  watch  those  fellows, 
Louis  and  Thomas,  if  }'OU  don't  they  will  get  spoilt — 
spoilt.  They  are  pretty  close  to  town  here — here." 
Tom  and  I  laughed  over  this  a  good  deal  and  how 
easily  we  slipped  out  of  it,  but  concluded  not  to  stop 
tr}-ing  to  learn  all  we  could.  Tom  alwa}'s  said: 
"  Lou,  I  am  going  to  be  a  free  man  yet,  then  we  will 
need  some  education;  no,  let  us  never  stop  trying  to 
learn."  Tom  was  a  Virginian,  as  I  was,  and  was  sold 
from  his  parents  when  a  mere  lad.  Boss  used  to 
write   to   his  parents  (owners)  occasional!}',   that  his 


102  THIRTY  YEARS  A  SLAVE. 

people  might  hear  from  him.  The  letters  were  to  his 
mother,  but  sent  in  care  of  the  white  folks.  Tom 
had  progressed  very  fast  in  his  secret  studies,  and 
could  write  enough  to  frame  a  letter.  It  seems  it  had 
been  over  a  year  since  Boss  had  written  for  him,  but 
nothing-  was  said  until  one  morning  I  heard  Boss  tel- 
ling Tom  to  come  to  the  barn  to  be  whipped.  He 
showed  Tom  three  letters  which  he  had  written  to  his 
mother,  and  this  so  startled  him  that  he  said  nothing. 
I  listened  breathlessly  to  each  word  Boss  said: 
"Where  did  you  learn  to  write?1'  asked  he,  "and 
when  did  you  learn?  How  long  have  you  been  writ- 
ing to  your  mother? "  At  that  moment  he  produced 
the  three  letters  which  Tom  had  written.  Boss,  it 
seems,  had  mistrusted  something,  and  spoke  to  the 
postmaster,  telling  him  to  stop  any  letters  which  Tom 
might  mail  for  Virginia  to  his  mother.  The  post- 
master did  as  directed,  for  slaves  had  no  rights  which 
postmasters  were  bound  to  respect;  hence,  the  letters 
fell  into  the  master's  hands  instead  of  going  to  their 
destination.  Tom,  not  hearing  from  his  first  letter, 
wrote  a  second,  then  a  third,  never  dreaming  that 
they  had  been  intercepted.  Boss  raged  and  Tom  was 
severely    whipped.       After    this    nothing    Tom    did 


SOCIAL  AND  OTHER  ASPECTS  OF  SLAVERY.     103 

pleased  any  of  the  family — it  was  a  continual  pick  on 
him.  Everything-  was  wrong-  with  both  of  us,  for 
they  were  equally  hard  on  me.  The}*  mistrusted,  I 
think,  that  I  could  write;  yet  I  could  not  find  out  just 
what  they  did  think. 

TOM    STRIKES    FOR    LIBERTY    AND    GAINS    IT, 

Tom  stayed  only  a  few  weeks  after  this.  He  said 
to  me,  one  morning:  "Lou,  I  am  going  away.  If  I 
can  get  a  boat  to-night  that  is  starting  off,  why,  I  am 
gone  from  this  place."  I  was  sad  to  see  him  go,  for 
he  was  like  a  brother  to  me  —  he  was  my  companion 
and  friend.  He  went,  and  was  just  in  time  to  catch 
the  boat  at  the  Memphis  dock.  He  succeeded  in 
getting  on,  and  made  an  application  to  the  captain  to 
work  on  the  boat.  The  captain  did  not  hesitate  to 
emplo}*  him,  as  it  was  common  for  slaves  to  be  per- 
mitted to  hire  themselves  out  for  wages  which  they 
were  required  to  return,  in  whole  or  in  part,  to  their 
masters.  Of  course  all  such  slaves  carried  a  written 
pass  to  this  effect.  Tom  was  shrewd;  and,  having 
learned  to  write  fairly  well,  he  wrote  himself  a  pass, 
which  was  of  the  usual  kind,  stating  his  name,  to 
whom  he  belonged,  and  that  he  was  privileged  to 
hire  himself  out  wherever  he  could,  coming  and  going 


104  THIRTY  YEARS  A  SLAVE, 

as  he  pleased.  Where  the  slave  was  an  exceptional 
one,  and  where  the  owner  had  only  two  or  three 
slaves,  a  pass  would  readily  be  given  to  hire  himself 
out,  or  hire  his  own  time,  as  it  was  generally  called, 
he  being  required  to  turn  over  to  his  master  a  certain 
amount  of  his  earnings,  each  month  or  week,  and  to 
make  a  report  to  his  master  of  his  whereabouts  and 
receipts.  Sometimes  the  slave  would  be  required  to 
turn  in  to  his  master  a  certain  sum,  as,  for  instance, 
fifty  or  one  hundred  dollars  a  year;  and  he  would 
have  to  earn  that  before  he  could  use  any  of  his  earn- 
ings for  himself.  If  he  was  a  mechanic  he  would 
have  little  trouble  in  doing  this,  as  the  wages  of  such 
were  often  quite  liberal.  This  kind  of  a  pass  was 
rarely,  if  ever,  given  by  the  planters  having  large 
numbers  of  slaves.  Another  kind  of  pass  read  some- 
thing like  this:  "Pass  my  bov  or  my  o-irl,''''  as  the 
case  might  be,  the  name  being  attached.  These  were 
only  given  to  permit  the  slave  to  go  from  the  farm  of 
his  own  master  to  that  of  another.  Some  men  had 
wives  or  children  belonging  on  neighboring  farms, 
and  would  be  given  passes  to  visit  them.  Without 
such  a  pass  the}'  were  liable  to  be  stopped  and  turned 
back    to  their  homes.     There    was,  however,   a  good 


SOCIAL  AND  OTHER  ASPECTS  OF  SLAVERY.      105 

deal  of  visiting-  without  passes,  but  it  was  against  the 
general  rule  which  required  them;  and  any  slave 
leaving-  home  without  a  pass  was  liable  to  punishment 
if  discovered.  On  our  plantation  passes  were  never 
given,  but  the  slaves  did  visit  in  the  neighborhood, 
notwithstanding,  and  would  sometimes  slip  into  town 
at  night.  Tom  had  in  this  way  seen  the  pass  of  a 
neighboring  slave  to  hire  out;  and  it  was  from  this  he 
learned  the  form  from  which  he  wrote  his,  and  which 
opened  his  way  to  freedom.  Upon  reading  Tom's 
pass,  the  captain  did  not  hesitate,  but  hired  him  at 
once;  and  Tom  worked  his  way  to  New  Orleans,  to 
which  city  the  boat  was  bound.  In  the  meantime 
Boss  took  me  and  we  drove  to  numerous  stations, 
where  he  telegraphed  ahead  for  his  run-away  boy 
Tom.  But  Tom  reached  New  Orleans  without  hind- 
rance, and  there  fell  in  with  the  steward  of  a  Boston 
steamer,  and,  getting  aboard  of  it,  was  soon  on  the 
ocean,  on  his  way  to  that  city  where  were  so  many 
friends  of  the  slave.  Arriving  there  he  made  his  way 
to  Canada;  which  was,  for  so  many  generations,  the 
only  land  of  freedom  attainable  to  American  slaves. 
news  of  tom's  reaching  Canada. 
Now  that  Tom  was  gone,   excitement  prevailed  at 


106  THIRTY  YEARS  A  SLAVE. 

the  house  among-  the  white  folks — nothing-  had  been 
heard  of  him  or  the  method  of  his  escape.  All  the 
servants  expected  that  he  would  be  caught,  and  I  was 
alarmed  every  time  Boss  came  from  the  city,  fearing 
that  he  had  news  that  Tom  was  caught.  He  had  been 
gone  about  six  months,  when,  one  morning,  I  went  to 
the  postoffice  and  brought  back  a  letter.  It  seemed  to 
me  that  I  felt  that  it  contained  something  unusual, 
but  I  did  not  know  what  it  was.  It  proved  to  be  a 
letter  from  Tom  to  Boss.  The}*  did  not  intend  that 
the  servants  should  know  it  was  from  Tom,  but  one 
of  the  house  maids  heard  them  reading  it,  and  came 
out  and  told  us.  She  whispered:  "  Tom  is  free;  he 
has  gone  to  Canada;  Boss  read  it  in  the  letter  Lou 
brought. "  This  news  cheered  me,  and  made  me  eager 
to  get  away;  but  I  never  heard  from  him  any  more 
until  after  the  rebellion.  Tom  gone  made  nry  duties 
more.  I  now  had  to  drive  the  carriage,  but  Uncle 
Madison  was  kept  at  the  barn  to  do  the  work  there, 
and  hitch  up  the  team — I  only  had  to  drive  when  the 
family  went  out. 

m'GEE    EXPECTS   TO    CAPTURE    TOM. 

In  the  summer  the  McGees  made  up  their  minds  to 
go  down  east,  and  come  around  by  Niagara  Falls,  for 


SOCIAL  AND  OTHER  ASPECTS  OF  SLAVERY.     107 

this  was  the  place  from  which  Tom  had  written  them. 
Boss  had  great  confidence  in  himself,  and  did  not 
doubt  his  ability  to  take  Tom  home  with  him  if  he 
should  meet  him,  even  thougdi  it  should  be  in  Canada. 
So  he  took  a  pair  of  handcuffs  with  him  as  a  prepar- 
ation for  the  enterprise.  His  young  nephew  had  been 
to  Niagara  Falls,  and  seen  and  talked  with  Tom;  but 
Boss  said  if  he  had  seen  him  an}Twhere  he  would  have 
laid  hands  on  him,  at  once,  and  taken  him  home,  at 
all  hazards. 

MAKING    CLOTHES. 

When  the  family  went  on  this  visit  down  east  I 
was  left  in  charg-e  of  the  house,  and  was  expected  to 
keep  everything-  in  order,  and  also  to  make  the  winter 
clothes  for  the  farm  hands.  The  madam  and  I  had 
cut  out  these  clothes  before  she  left,  and  it  was  my 
principal  duty  to  run  the  sewing"  machine  in  their 
manufacture.  Many  whole  days  I  spent  in  this  work. 
My  wife  made  the  button  holes  and  sewed  on  the 
buttons.  I  made  hundreds  of  sacks  for  use  in  picking- 
cotton.  This  work  was  always  done  in  summer. 
When  the  g-arments  were  all  finished  they  were  ship- 
ped to  the  farm  at  Bolivar,  to  be  ready  for  the  fall  and 
winter  wear.  In  like  manner  the  clothes  for  summer 
use  were  made  in  winter. 


108  THIRTY  YEARS  A  SLAVE. 

A    SUPERSTITION. 

It  was  the  custom  in  those  days  for  slaves  to  carry 
voo-doo  bag's.  It  was  handed  down  from  generation 
to  generation;  and,  though  it  was  one  of  the  super- 
stitions of  a  barbarous  ancestry,  it  was  still  very 
generally  and  tenaciousl}'  held  to  b}~  all  classes.  I 
carried  a  little  bag,  which  I  got  from  an  old  slave  who 
claimed  that  it  had  power  to  prevent  any  one  who 
carried  it  from  being  whipped.  It  was  made  of 
leather,  and  contained  roots,  nuts,  pins  and  some  other 
things.  The  claim  that  it  would  prevent  the  folks 
from  whipping  me  so  much,  I  found,  was  not  sustained 
by  my  experience — my  whippings  came  just  the  same. 
Many  of  the  servants  were  thorough  believers  in  it, 
though,  and  carried  these  bags  all  the  time. 

MEMPHIS    AND    ITS    COMMERCIAL    IMPORTANCE. 

The  city  of  Memphis,  from  its  high  bluff  on  the 
Mississippi,  overlooks  the  surrounding  country  for  a 
long  distance.  The  muddy  waters  of  the  river,  when 
at  a  low  stage,  lap  the  ever  crumbling  banks  that 
3^earhT  change,  vielding  to  new  deflections  of  the  cur- 
rent. For  hundreds  of  miles  below  there  is  a  highly 
interesting  and  rarely  broken  series  of  forests,  cane 
brakes  and  sand  bars,  covered  with  masses  of  willows 


*"  '   ' --1  ■"  ■  "i '       .11        i'  "■  "   "  ';  '  „  '. •<  «    -— -       ».  i  ,  <  j     .  i     ■ 


SOCIAL  AND  OTHER  ASPECTS  OE  SLAVERY.     109 

and  poplars  which,  in  the  spring-,  when  the  floods 
come  down,  are  overflowed  for  many  miles  back.  It 
was  found  necessary  to  run  embankments  practically 
parallel  with  the  current,  in  order  to  confine  the 
waters  of  the  river  in  its  channel.  Memphis  was  and 
is  the  most  important  city  of  Tenessee,  indeed,  the 
most  important  between  St.  Louis  and  New  Orleans, 
particularly  from  the  commercial  point  of  view.  Cot- 
ton was  the  principal  product  of  the  territory  tribu- 
tary to  it.  The  street  running-  along  the  bluff  was 
called  Front  Row,  and  was  filled  with  stores  and  busi- 
ness houses.  This  street  was  the  principal  cotton 
market,  and  here  the  article  which,  in  those  days,  was 
personified  as  the  commercial  "king,"  was  bought 
and  sold,  and  whence  it  was  shipped,  or  stored,  await- 
ing an  advancing  price.  The  completion  of  the  Mem- 
phis and  Charleston  railroad  was  a  great  event  in  the 
history  of  the  city.  It  was  termed  the  marriage  of 
the  Mississippi  and  the  Atlantic,  and  was  celebrated 
with  a  great  popular  demonstration,  people  coming 
from  the  surrounding  country  for  many  miles.  Water 
was  brought  from  the  Atlantic  ocean  and  poured  into 
the  river;  and  water  taken  from  the  river  and  poured 
into  the  Atlantic  at   Charleston.     It  was   anticipated 


110  THIRTY  YEARS  A  vSLAVE. 

that  this  railroad  connection  between  the  two  cities 
would  make  of  Charleston  the  great  shipping-  port, 
and  of  Memphis  the  principal  cotton  market  of  the 
southwest.  The  expectation  in  neither  of  these  cases 
has  been  fully  realized.  Boss,  in  common  with 
planters  and  business  men  throughout  that  whole 
region,  was  greatly  excited.  I  attended  him  and  thus 
had  the  opportunity  of  witnessing  this  notable  cele- 
bration. 


^m^m^ 


'^^^l'm>_.^mm^^^g^mm^&£sm-:.mk€^iB$. 


CHAPTER  III. 
SLAVERY  AND  THE  WAR  OF  THE  REBELLION. 

BEGINNING   OF   THE    WAR. 

I  remember  well  when  Abraham  Lincoln  was 
elected.  Boss  and  the  madam  had  been  reading-  the 
papers,  when  he  broke  out  with  the  exclamation: 
"  The  very  idea  of  electing-  an  old  rail  splitter  to  the 
presidency  of  the  United  States!  Well  he'll  never 
take  his  seat."  When  Lincoln  was  inaugurated,  Boss, 
old  Master  Jack  and  a  great  company  of  men  met  at 
our  house  to  discuss  the  matter,  and  they  were  wild 
with  excitement.  Was  not  this  excitement  an  admis- 
sion that  their  confidence  in  their  ability  to  whip  the 
Yankees,  five  or  six  to  one,  was  not  so  strong  as  they 
pretended? 

The  war  had  been  talked  of  for  some  time,  but  at 
last  it  came.  When  the  rebels  fired  upon  Fort  Sump- 
ter,  then  great  excitement  arose.  The  next  day  when 
I  drove  Boss  to  town,  he  went  into  the  store  of  one 
Williams,    a  merchant,   and    when   he    came    out,    he 


112  THIRTY  YEARS  A  SLAVE. 

stepped  to  the  carriage,  and  said:  "  What  do  you 
think?  Old  Abraham  Lincoln  has  called  for  four 
hundred  thousand  men  to  come  to  Washington  im- 
mediately. Well,  let  them  come;  we  will  make  a 
breakfast  of  them.  I  can  whip  a  half  dozen  Yankees 
with  nry  pocket  knife."  This  was  the  chief  topic 
everywhere.  Soon  after  this  Boss  bought  himself  a 
six  shooter.  I  had  to  mould  the  bullets  for  him,  and 
every  afternoon  he  would  go  out  to  practice.  By  his 
direction,  I  fixed  a  large  piece  of  white  paper  on  the 
back  fence,  and  in  the  center  of  it  put  a  large  black 
dot.  At  this  mark  he  would  fire  awaj,  expecting  to 
hit  it;  but  he  did  not  succeed  well.  He  would  some- 
times miss  the  fence  entirely,  the  ball  going  out  into 
the  woods  be}Tond.  Each  time  he  would  shoot  I  would 
have  to  run  down  to  the  fence  to  see  how  near  he 
came  to  the  mark.  When  he  came  very  near  to  it — 
within  an  inch  or  so,  he  would  say  laughingly:  "  Ah! 
I  would  have  got  him  that  time.'''  (Meaning  a 
Yankee  soldier. )  There  was  something  very  ludicrous 
in  this  pistol  practice  of  a  man  who  boasted  that  he 
could  whip  half  a  dozen  Yankees  with  a  jacknife. 
Every  day  for  a  month  this  business,  so  tiresome  to 
me,  went  on.     Boss  was  very  brave  until  it  came  time 


SLAVERY  AND  THE  WAR  OF  THE  REBELLION.  113 

for  him  to  go  to  war,  when  his  courage  oozed  out,  and 
he  sent  a  substitute;  he  remaining  at  home  as  a 
"home  guard."  One  day  when  I  came  back  with  the 
papers  from  the  city,  the  house  was  soon  ringing  with 
cries  of  victory.  Boss  said:  "  Why,  that  was  a  great 
battle  at  Bull  Run.  If  our  men  had  only  known,  at 
lirst,  what  they  afterwards  found  out,  they  would 
have  wiped  all  the  Yankees  out,  and  succeeded  in  tak- 
ing Washington." 

PETTY    DISRESPECT   TO    THE    EMBLEM    OF   THE    UNION. 

Right  after  the  bombardment  of  Fort  Sumpter, 
they  brought  to  Memphis  the  Union  flag  that  floated 
over  the  fort.  There  was  a  great  jubilee  in  celebra- 
tion of  this.  Portions  of  the  flag,  no  larger  than  a 
half  dollar  in  paper  money,  were  given  out  to  the 
wealthy  people,  and  these  evidences  of  their  treason 
were  long  preserved  as  precious  treasures.  Boss  had 
one  of  these  pieces  which  he  kept  a  long  time;  but,  as 
the  rebel  cause  waned  these  reminders  of  its  begin- 
ning were  less  and  less  seen,  and  if  any  of  them  are 
now  in  existence,  it  is  not  likely  that  their  possessors 
will  take  any  pride  in  exposing  them  to  view. 

As  the  war  continued  we  would,  now  and  then, 
hear    of    some    slave    of    our    neighborhood    running 


114  THIRTY  YEARS  A  SLAVE. 

away  to  the  Yankees.  It  was  common  when  the  mes- 
sage of  a  Union  victory  came  to  see  the  slaves 
whispering-  to  each  other:  --  We  will  be  free.,,  I 
tried  to  catch  everything-  I  could  about  the  war,  I  was 
so  eager  for  the  success  of  the  Union  cause.  These 
things  went  on  until 

THE    BATTLE    OF    SHILOH,    APKIL    9,    1862. 

Boss  came  hurrying  in  one  morning,  right  after 
breakfast,  calling  to  me:  "  Lou,  Lou,  come;  we  have 
a  great  victory!  I  want  to  go  up  and  carry  the  boys 
something  to  eat.  I  want  you  and  Matilda  to  get 
something  ready  as  quickly  as  you  can."  A  barrel  of 
flour  was  rolled  into  the  kitchen,  and  my  wife  and  I 
"  pitched  in  "  to  work.  Biscuit,  bread,  hoe-cake,  ham, 
tongue — all  kinds  of  meat  and  bread  were  rapidly 
cooked;  and,  though  the  task  was  a  heavy  one  for  my 
wife  and  me,  we  worked  steadily;  and.  about  five 
o'clock  in  the  afternoon  the  things  were  ready.  One 
of  the  large  baskets  used  to  hold  cotton  was  packed 
full  of  these  provisions.  Our  limbs  ached  from  the 
strain  of  the  work,  for  we  had  little  help.  One  reason 
for  the  anxiety  of  the  Boss  for  the  preparation  of  this 
provision  for  the  soldiers  was  that  he  knew  so  many 
in  one   of  the   companies,   which   was  known   as  the 


SLAVERY  AND  THE  WAR  OP  THE  REBELLION.  115 

"  Como  Avengers,"  and  he  had  a  son,  a  nephew  and  a 
brother  of  his  wife  connected  with  it;  the  latter  a 
major  on  Gen.  Martin's  staff.  On  the  following-  morn- 
ing- I  got  up  early,  and  hurried  with  my  work  to  get 
through,  as  I  had  to  go  to  the  postofflce.  Madam 
hurried  me  off,  as  she  expected  a  letter  from  her  hus- 
band, who  had  promised  to  write,  at  the  earliest  mo- 
ment, of  their  friends  and  relatives.  I  rushed  into 
the  city,  at  full  speed,  got  some  letters  and  a  morning 
paper,  and,  returning  as  rapidly  as  possible,  gave 
them  to  her.  She  grasped  them  eagerly,  and 
commenced  reading  the  paper.  In  a  short  time  I 
heard  her  calling  me  to  come  to  her.  I  went  in,  and 
she  said,  in  great  excitement:  "  Louis,  we  want  to 
have  you  drive  us  into  town,  to  see  the  Yankee 
prisoners,  who  are  coming  through,  at  noon,  from 
Shiloh."  I  went  and  told  Madison  to  hitch  up,  as 
soon  as  he  could.  In  the  meantime  I  got  myself 
ready,  and  it  was  not  long  before  we  were  off  for  the 
city.  The  madam  was  accompanied  by  a  friend  of 
hers,  a  Mrs.  Oliver.  We  were  at  the  station  in  plenty 
of  time.  About  twelve  o'clock  the  train  from  Shiloh 
drew  into  the  station;  but  the  prisoners  that  were 
reported  to  be  on  board  were  missing — it  proved  to  be 


116  THIRTY  YEARvS  A  SLAVE. 

a  false  report.  While  they  were  looking  for  the 
prisoners,  Mrs.  Oliver  saw  Jack,  a  servant  of  Edward 
McGee,  brother  of  madam.  "Oh!  Look,"  said  Mrs. 
Oliver,  "there  is  Edward's  Jack.  Lou,  run  and  call 
him.'"  In  a  minute  I  was  off  the  carriage,  leaving  the 
reins  in  madam's  hands.  Jack  came  up  to  the 
carriage,  and  the  women  began  to  question  him: 
"Where  is  your  Master,  Ed,"  asked  both  of  them. 
"He  is  in  the  car,  Missis — he  is  shot  in  the  ankle," 
said  Jack.  In  a  minute  the  women  were  crying-.  "  I 
was  going  to  get  a  hack,"  said  Jack,  "  to — "  "No, 
No!"  said  both  of  them.  "  Go,  Lou,  and  help  Jack  to 
bring  him  to  our  carriage.  You  can  drive  him  more 
steadily  than  the  hackman."  Jack  and  I  went  to  the 
car,  and  helped  him  out,  and  after  some  effort,  got 
him  into  our  carriage.  Then  I  went  and  got  a  livery 
hack  to  take  the  women  and  his  baggage  home. 
When  we  reached  home,  we  found  there  old  Mrs.  Jack 
McGee,  mother  of  the  madam,  Mrs.  Charles  Dan- 
dridge,  Mrs.  Farrington,  sisters  of  madam,  and 
Fanny,  a  colored  woman,  Edward's  housekeeper  and 
mistress — a  wife  in  all  but  name.  All  of  these  had 
come  to  hear  the  news  of  the  great  battle,  for  all  had 
near  relatives  in  it.       Mrs.  Jack  McGee  and  Mrs.  Dr. 


SLAVERY  AND  THE  WAR  OF  THE  REBELLION.  117 

Charles    Dandridge    had    each    a    son    in  the  terrible 
conflict. 

MOURNING   IN    MASTER'S    FAMILY. 

In  the  afternoon,  when  all  were  seated  in  the 
library  reading-,  and  I  was  in  the  dining-  room,  finish- 
ing up  my  work,  I  happened  to  look  out  of  the  win- 
dow, and  saw  a  messenger  coming  up  the  graveled 
walk.  I  went  out  to  meet  him.  "Telegram  for  Mrs. 
McGee,"  he  said.  I  took  it  to  her;  and,  reading  it 
without  a  word,  she  passed  it  to  the  next  member  of 
the  famil}-,  and  so  it  was  passed  around  until  all  had 
read  it  except  Mrs.  Dandridge.  When  it  was  handed 
to  her,  I  saw,  at  a  glance,  that  it  contained  for  her 
the  most  sorrowful  tidings.  As  she  read  she  became 
livid,  and  when  she  had  finished  she  covered  her  face 
with  her  handkerchief,  giving  a  great,  heavy  sob. 
By  this  time  the  whole  family  was  crying  and 
screaming:  "  Oh!  our  Mack  is  killed."  "  Mars,  Mack 
is  killed,"  was  echoed  by  the  servants,  in  tones  of 
heart-felt  sorrow,  for  he  was  an  exceptional  young 
man.  Every  one  loved  him — both  whites  and  blacks. 
The  affection  of  the  slaves  for  him  bordered  on 
reverence,  and  this  was  true  not  alone  of  his  father's 
slaves,  but  of  all  those  who  knew  him.    This  telegram 


118  THIRTY  YEARS  A  SLAVE. 

was  from  Boss,  and  announced  that  he  would  be  home 
the  next  da}-  with  the  remains.  Mrs.  Farrington  at 
once  wrote  to  old  Master  Jack  and  to  Dr.  Dandridge, 
telling-  them  of  Mack's  death  and  to  come  at  once. 
After  I  mailed  those  letters  nothing  unusual  happened 
during  the  afternoon,  and  the  house  was  wrapped  in 
silence  and  gloom.  On  the  following  morning  I  went 
for  the  mail  as  usual,  but  there  was  nothing  new.  At 
noon,  the  remains  of  the  much  loved  young  man 
arrived  at  our  station,  accompanied  by  Boss  and  Dr. 
Henry  Dandridge,  brother  of  the  father  of  the  de- 
ceased, who  was  a  surgeon  in  the  rebel  army.  I  went 
to  the  station  with  another  servant,  to  assist  in  bring" 
ing  the  body  to  the  house.  We  carried  it  into  the 
back  parlor,  and,  after  all  had  been  made  ready,  we 
proceeded  to  wash  and  dress  it.  He  had  lain  on  the 
battlefield  two  days  before  he  was  found,  and  his  face 
was  black  as  a  piece  of  coal;  but  Dr.  Henr}-  Dandridge, 
with  his  ready  tact,  suggested  the  idea  of  painting 
it.  I  was  there  to  assist  in  whatever  way  they  needed 
me.  After  the  body  was  all  dressed,  and  the  face 
painted,  cheeks  tinted  with  a  rosy  hue,  to  appear  as 
he  always  did  in  life,  the  look  was  natural  and  hand- 
some.      We   were  all   the  afternoon  employed  in  this 


SLAVERY  AND  THE  WAR  OF  THE  REBELLION.  119 

sad  work,  and  it  was  not  until  late  in  the  evening 
that  his  father  and  mother  came  down  to  view  the 
bod}'  for  the  first  time.  I  remember,  as  they  came 
down  the  broad  stairs  together,  the  sorrow-stricken 
yet  calm  look  of  those  two  people.  Mrs.  Dandridge 
was  very  calm  —  her  grief  was  too  great  for  her  to 
scream  as  the  others  did  when  they  went  in.  She 
stood  and  looked  at  her  Mack;  then  turning  to  Boss, 
she  said:  "  Cousin  Eddie,  how  brave  he  was!  He  died 
for  his  country."  Poor,  sorrowing,  misguided  woman! 
It  was  not  for  his  country  he  died,  but  for  the  per- 
petuation of  the  cruel,  the  infamous  system  of  human 
slaver}T.  All  the  servants  were  allowed  to  come  in 
and  view  the  body.  Many  sad  tears  were  shed  by 
them.  Some  of  the  older  slaves  clasped  their  hands, 
as  if  in  mute  prayer,  and  exclaimed,  as  they  passed 
by  the  coffin:  "He  was  a  lovin  boy."  It  seems  that 
all  his  company  but  five  or  six  were  killed.  At  an 
early  hour  next  morning  the  funeral  party  started  for 
the  home  in  Panola,  where  the  body  of  the  lamented 
3Toung  man,  sacrificed  to  an  unhol}T  cause,  was  buried, 
at  the  close  of  the  same  day. 

Edward  stayed  at  our  house  some  six  weeks,  his 
ankle  was   so   slow  in  getting  well.       At  the  end  of 


120  THIRTY  YEARS  A  SLAVE. 

that  time,  he  could  walk  with  the  aid  of  crutches,  and 
he  took  Fanny  and  went  home. 

ALARM    OF   THE    MEMPHIS    REBELS. 

Not  long-  after  this  the  people  were  very  much 
worked  up  over  the  military  situation.  The  Yankees 
had  taken  Nashville,  and  had  begun  to  bombard  Fort 
Pillow.  The  officials  of  the  Memphis  and  Ohio  rail- 
road company  became  alarmed  at  the  condition  of 
things,  fearing  for  the  safety  of  their  stock.  The  offi- 
cers, therefore,  set  about  devising  some  plan  by  which 
they  might  get  the  cars  down  on  the  Memphis  and 
Jackson  road,  where  the}-  imagined  their  property 
would  be  safe  from  the  now  terrible  Yankees.  The 
railroad  officials  at  once  set  to  work  to  bm-  the  right 
of  way  through  Main  street,  to  give  them  the  con- 
nection with  the  southern  road  named.  At  first  it 
was  refused  by  the  city  authorities,  but  finally  the 
right  of  way  was  granted.  When,  however,  the  rail- 
road men  began  to  lay  the  ties  and  rails,  the  people 
grew  furious.  Some  fled  at  once,  for  the}*  imagined 
that  this  act  of  the  railroad  officials  indicated  that 
the  Yankees  must  be  coming  pretty  near.  Boss  be- 
came so  excited,  at  this  time,  that  he  almost  felt  like 
Sfoinsr  away  too.     The   familv  grew  more   and  more 


SLAVERY  AND  THE  WAR  OF  THE  REBELLION.  121 

uneasy;  and  it  was  the  continual  talk:  "  We  must 
get  away  from  Memphis.  The  companies  are  already 
moving"  their  rolling-  stock,  fearing  the  Yankees  may 
come  at  any  time  and  destroy  everything;  we  must 
get  away,"  said  Boss,  speaking  to  the  madam." 

THE    FAMILY    FLEE    FROM    MEMPHIS. 

Things  continued  in  this  way  until  about  June, 
1862.  The  Union  troops  had  taken  Fort  Pillow.  We 
had  heard  the  firing  of  cannon,  and  did  not  know 
what  it  meant.  One  morning  I  was  in  the  city  after 
the  mail,  and  I  learned  that  a  transient  boat  had  just 
come  down  the  river,  which  had  lost  a  part  of  her 
wheelhouse.  She  was  fired  on  from  Fort  Pillow, 
sustaining  this  serious  damage  from  the  shot.  This 
increased  the  excitement  among  the  people;  and  our 
folks  became  alarmed  right  away,  and  commenced 
talking  of  moving  and  running  the  servants  away 
from  the  Yankees,  to  a  place  of  safety.  McGee  was 
trying  for  some  time  to  get  some  one  to  take  the 
house,  that  is,  to  live  in  and  care  for  it  until  after  the 
war,  while  the  famih*  were  gone.  They  never  thought 
that  slavery  would  be  abolished,  and  so  hoped  to  come 
back  again.  After  some  search,  the}*  found  a  widow, 
a  Mrs.  Hancock.     She  was  to  have  full  charg-e  of  the 


122  THIRTY  YEARS  A  SLAVE. 

house  and  continue  keeping-  boarders,  as  she  had  been 
doing-  in  Memphis.  The  vaunted  courage  of  this 
man  seems  to  have  early  disappeared,  and  his  thought 
was  chiefly  devoted  to  getting  his  family  and  his 
slaves  into  some  obscure  place,  as  far  away  as  pos- 
sible from  the  Yankees,  that  were  to  be  so  easily 
whipped.  We  were  about  two  weeks  getting  ready  to 
leave,  stowing  away  some  of  the  things  they  did  not 
want  to  move.  The  Boss  and  his  family,  my  wife  and 
I,  and  all  the  house  servants  were  to  go  to  Panola,  to 
his  father's.  The  famil}T  went  by  rail,  but  I  had  to 
drive  through  in  a  wagon. 

I    AM    TAKEN    TO     BOLIVAR     FARM. 

Soon  after  the  family  all  reached  Master  Jack's, 
Boss  took  me  to  his  own  farm  in  Bolivar  county.  This 
separated  me  for  a  time  from  my  wife,  for  she  re- 
mained with  the  famil}'.  I  bad  to  look  after  the 
house  at  the  farm,  attend  the  dining  room,  and,  be- 
tween meals,  sew  every  day,  making  clothes  for  the 
hands.  I  could  run  on  the  machine  eighteen  to  twenty 
pairs  of  pants  a  day,  but  two  women  made  the  button 
holes  and  did  the  basting  for  me,  getting  the  goods 
all  ready  for  the  machine, 


SLAVERY  AND  THE  WAR  OF  THE  REBELLION.  123 
CAPTURE    OF    A    UNION    TRADING    BOAT. 

The  Yankees  had  made  a  raid  through  Bolivar,  be- 
fore I  came,  and  the  excitement  had  not  abated,  as 
they  were  spreading-  themselves  all  through  the  state. 
There  was  a  Union  trading-  boat,  the  Lake  City,  that 
had  been  successful  in  exchanging  her  goods  for 
cotton  that  came  from  Memphis.  She  usually  stopped 
at  Helena,  Fryer's  Point  and  other  small  towns;  but 
on  a  trip  at  this  time  she  came  about  fifty  miles 
farther  down  the  river,  to  Carson's  Landing,  right  at 
Boss'  farm.  She  was  loaded  with  all  kinds  of 
merchandise — sugar,  tobacco,  liquor,  etc.  She  had  a 
crew  of  about  forty  men,  but  they  were  not  well  pre- 
pared for  a  vigorous  defense.  The  rebel  soldiers 
stationed  in  the  vicinity  saw  her  as  she  dropped  her 
anchor  near  the  landing,  and  the}*  determined  to  make 
an  effort  for  her  capture.  The}*  put  out  pickets  just 
above  our  farm,  and  allowed  no  one  to  pass,  or  stop  to 
communicate  with  the  boat.  Every  one  that  sought 
to  pass  was  held  prisoner,  and  every  precaution  taken 
to  prevent  those  on  the  boat  from  learning  of  the  pur- 
poses of  the  rebels,  knowing  that  the  boat  would  land 
in  the  morning,  if  not  informed  of  the  danger,  and 
then  it  was  anticipated  that  they  could  easily  make 


124  THIRTY  YEARS  A  SLAVE. 

her  a  prize.  There  was  a  small  ferry  boat  behind  the 
steamer,  and  as  the  latter  dropped  down  stream,  and 
then  steamed  up  to  the  landing-,  the  former  stood  off 
for  a  few  moments.  As  the  steamer  touched  shore,  the 
rebels  charged  on  her,  and  captured  her  without  a 
struggle.  In  the  meantime  the  ferry  boat,  seeing 
what  had  happened,  sped  away  up  stream,  the  soldiers 
firing  at  her,  but  doing  little  damage,  except  the 
breaking  of  the  glass  in  the  pilot  house.  The  rebels, 
seeing  that  the  ferr}T  boat  had  escaped  them,  turned 
their  attention  to  the  unloading  of  the  steamer.  They 
sent  out  for  help  in  this  work,  and  the  summons  was 
answered  by  the  neighbors  far  and  near.  Wagons 
were  brought,  two  of  which  were  from  our  farm,  and 
loaded  with  goods,  which  were  taken  to  Deer  Creek, 
forty  miles  from  Carson  Landing.  What  goods  they 
found  themselves  unable  to  carry  away  were  packed 
in  the  warehouse.  The  steamer  was  then  burned. 
McGee  was  present,  and  the  rebel  captain  gave  him  a 
written  statement  of  the  affair  to  the  effect  that  the 
residents  were  not  responsible  for  it,  and  that  this 
should  be  a  protection  for  them  against  the  Union 
forces.  The  officers  and  crew  of  the  steamer  to  the 
number  of   forty  were  made  prisoners,   and  taken  to 


SLAVERY  AND  THE  WAR  OF  THE  REBELLION.  125 

Deer  Creek,  the  rebel  headquarters  of  that  region, 
and  put  in  the  jail  there.  The  ferry  boat  that  es- 
caped went  to  Helena,  Arkansas,  and  carried  the 
news  of  the  affair  to  the  Union  forces  there. 

BOSS   TAKEN    PRISONER. 

I  was  told  by  Boss  to  take  my  stand  on  our  ver- 
anda, and  keep  watch  on  the  river,  and  if  I  saw  any 
boat  coming-  down  to  let  him  know  at  once.  I  kept  a 
close  watch  the  next  morning-  until  about  eight 
o'clock,  when  I  saw  a  boat,  but  she  had  almost  gone 
past  our  house  before  I  discovered  her.  I  ran  into  the 
house  and  told  Boss.  He  ordered  me  to  get  his  horse 
at  once,  which  I  did;  and  he  mounted  and  went  down 
to  the  landing  as  fast  as  he  could.  Upon  reaching 
there,  he  was  taken  prisoner  by  the  Union  soldiers, 
who  had  just  landed  from  the  boat.  All  who  came 
near  were  captured.  The  Union  soldiers  went  to 
work  and  transferred  all  the  goods  which  the  rebels 
had  put  into  the  warehouse  from  the  boat  which  they 
had  captured,  then  setting  fire  to  the  warehouse  and 
the  postoffice,  they  pushed  off  yelling  and  shouting 
with  glee.  Among  those  captured  by  the  Union 
soldiers  were  three  other  rich  planters  besides  Boss, 
all  of  whom  were  taken  to  Helena.     After  they  had 


126  THIRTY  YEARS  A  SLAVE. 

been  there  about  a  week,  the  planters  offered  to  se- 
cure the  release  of  the  Unionists  captured  on  the 
boat  which  the  rebels  had  burned  at  Carson  Landing-, 
and  who  had  been  sent  to  the  rebel  jail  at  Deer  Creek, 
if  they  were  guaranteed  their  own  release  in  ex- 
change. They  offered  to  bear  the  expense  of  a  mes- 
senger to  the  rebel  officer,  at  Deer  Creek,  with  this 
proposition.  The  Union  officer  at  Helena  accepted 
the  proposition,  and  the  messenger  was  sent  off.  It 
was  arranged  that  he  should  stop  over  at  our  house, 
both  on  his  way  down  and  back.  Upon  his  return,  he 
stopped  over  night,  and  the  next  morning  proceeded 
on  his  way.  When  he  had  gone  about  five  miles,  he 
saw  a  flat-boat  at  a  landing,  on  which  were  people 
drinking  and  having  a  merry  time.  He  stopped,  and 
went  aboard;  and,  in  joining  the  carousal,  he  soon 
became  so  intoxicated  that  he  was  unable  to  go  on 
with  his  journey.  Among  those  present  was  one  Gil- 
crease,  a  cousin  of  the  McGees,  who  recognized  the 
man  as  the  messenger  in  this  important  business,  went 
to  him  and  asked  him  for  the  letters  he  carried.  The 
fellow  refusing  to  give  them  up,  Gilcrease  took  them 
from  him,  and  at  once  sent  to  our  overseer  for  a  reli- 
able man  by  whom  to  forward  them  to  the  command- 


SLAVERY  AND  THE  WAR  OF  THE  REBELLION.  127 

ant  at  Helena.  The  overseer  called  me  up  from  the 
cabin  to  his  room,  and  told  me  that  I  was  to  go  to 
Helena  to  carry  some  important  papers,  and  to  come 
to  him  for  them  in  the  morning-,  and  make  an  earl}' 
start.     I  left  him  and  went  back  to  my  cabin. 

MY  THIRD  EFFORT  FOR  FREEDOM. 

I  made  up  nry  mind  that  this  would  be  a  g-ood 
chance  for  me  to  run  away.  I  got  m}'  clothes,  and 
put  them  in  an  old  pair  of  saddle  bags  —  two  bags 
made  of  leather,  connected  with  a  strip  of  leather, 
and  used  when  traveling  horseback  for  the  same  pur- 
pose as  a  satchel  is  used  in  traveling  in  the  cars.  I 
took  these  bags,  carried  them  about  a  half  mile  up 
the  road,  and  hid  them  in  a  fence  corner,  where  I 
could  get  them  in  the  morning  when  I  had  started  on 
my  trip.  Fryer's  Point,  the  place  to  which  I  was  to 
go,  was  about  fifty  miles  from  the  farm.  I  started 
early  in  the  morning,  and,  after  I  had  gone  twent}-- 
five  miles,  I  came  to  the  farm  of  William  McGee,  a 
brother  of  the  madam,  and  stopped  to  change  horses. 
I  found  that  William  McGee  was  going,  in  the  morn- 
ing, down  to  old  Master  Jack's;  so  I  took  one  of  their 
horses,  leaving  mine  to  use  in  its  place,  went  right  to 
Frver's  Point,   delivered  the  letters  to  a  man  there  to 


128  THIRTY  YEARS  A  SLAVE. 

carry   to   Helena,    and  got   back   to   William  McGee's 
farm    that    night.       I   made   up  my  mind   to  go  with 
William   down   to  Panola,  where  madam  was,  to  tell 
her  about  Boss  being  captured.       The   next  morning, 
he    started,    and    Gibson,     his    overseer    and    myself 
accompanied    him.       He    questioned    me    about    the 
capture  of  Boss,  what  the  soldiers  had  done,  etc.,  and 
I  told  him  all  I  knew  of  the   matter.       "  Well,    Lou," 
he  said,    "why  did  you  not  bring  us  some  whisky?  " 
"  I  did  bring  a  little  with  me,"  I  said.       He    laughed, 
saying:  "Oh,  well,  when  we  come  to  some  clear  water 
we  will  stop  and  have  a  drink. "      Then   I  said:   "  Mr. 
Smith  will  look  for  me  to-night,  but  he  wont  see  me. 
I  am  going  to  tell  the  madam  that  Boss  is  captured." 
"  Hey,  ho!  "    he  said,    "  then  }^ou  are  running  away." 
I   replied:    "  Well  I  know  Miss  Sarah  dont  know  Boss 
is  in  prison."    We  traveled  on,  all  three  of  us,  stopping 
at    intervals    to    be    refreshed.       After  two  days,    we 
arrived   at  Panola.       Our  journey  was  a  tedious  one. 
The  streams  were  so  swollen  in  places  that  we  could 
hardly  pass.       The  Tallehatchie  we  had  to  swim,  and 
one  of  the   men   came   near  losing  his  horse  and  his 
life.     The  horses   became  tangled  in  a  prape  vine,  as 
we   were   nearing  the  shore  at  which  we  aimed,  and, 


SLAVERY  AND  THE  WAR  OF  THE  REBELLION.  129 

the  current  being-  very  swift,  we  were  carried  below 
the  landing"  place;  but,  finalty,  we  got  safely  ashore, 
McGee  landing,  and  we  following.  Reaching  Panola, 
wet  and  weary,  I  conveyed  to  madam  the  stor}r  of  her 
husband's  capture  and  imprisonment,  a  rumor  of 
which  had  already  reached  her. 

The  next  morning  was  Christmas,  and  a  number 
of  the  family  had  come  to  spend  it  together.  They 
had  heard  that  McGee  was  captured  and  in  prison  ; 
but,  now,  as  I  told  them  every  feature  of  the  affair  in 
detail,  they  grew  excited  and  talked  wildly  about  it. 
Among  those  who  came  were  Dr.  Dandridge  and  his 
wife,  Blanton  McGee  and  his  wife,  Tim  Oliver  and 
his  wife.  All  these  women  were  daughters  of  old 
Master  Jack  McGee,  and  sisters  to  the  madam.  Mrs. 
Farrington  and  old  lady  McGee  were  already  there. 
These  re-unions  on  Christmas  were  a  long  established 
custom  with  them,  but  the  pleasure  of  this  one  was 
sadly  marred  by  the  vicisitudes  and  calamities  of  the 
war.  A  shadow  hung  over  all  the  family  group. 
They  asked  me  many  questions  about  Boss,  and,  of 
course,  I  related  all  I  knew. 

After  I  had  been  there  three  days,  they  started  me 
back  with  letters  for  Boss.      When  I  left  it  was  near 


130  THIRTY  YEARS  A  SLAVE. 

night,  and  I  was  to  stop  over  at  Master  Jack's  farm 
fifteen  miles  away.  It  was  expected  that  I  would 
reach  Fryer's  Point  on  the  third  morning-,  thus  allow- 
ing- me  three  da}'s  to  go  sixty  miles;  but  I  could  not 
make  much  headway,  as  the  roads  were  so  heavy. 
The  understanding-  was  that  I  was  to  deliver  the 
letters  to  the  same  gentleman,  at  Fryer's,  to  whom  I 
delivered  the  others,  for  forwarding  to  Boss  at  Helena. 
I  was  then  to  go  straight  to  the  farm  at  Boliver,  and 
report  to  Smith,  the  overseer.  But  after  I  had  got 
about  four  miles  awa}-,  I  concluded  that  I  would  not 
go  back  to  the  farm,  but  try  to  get  to  the  Yankees.  I 
knew  I  had  disobeyed  Smith  by  going  down  to  the 
madam's  to  tell  her  about  Boss,  because  he  told  me 
not  to  go  when  I  spoke  to  him  about  it.  And  now  if 
I  went  back  I  feared  he  would  kill  me;  for  I  knew 
there  would  be  no  escape  for  me  from  being  run  into 
the  bull  ring,  and  that  torture  I  could  not  think  of 
enduring.  I,  therefore,  stopped,  and,  taking  the 
bridle  and  saddle  from  the  horse,  hid  them  in  the 
corner  of  a  fence  in  a  cornfield.  Then  I  went  into  the 
woods.  The  papers  which  I  had  were  in  the  saddle- 
bag safe.  The  place  where  I  sta}'ed  in  the  da}rtime 
was  in  a  large  shuck-pen  —  a  pen  built  in  the  field  to 


SLAVERY  AND  THE  WAR  OF  THE  REBELLION.  131 

feed  stock  from,  in  the  winter  time.  This  pen  was  on 
Dr.  Dandridge's  farm;  and  the  second  night  I  worked 
my  way  up  near  the  house.  Knowing-  all  the  servants, 
I  was  watching"  a  chance  to  send  word  to  the  coach- 
man, Alfred  Dandridge,  that  I  wanted  him  to  tell  my 
wife  that  I  was  not  gone.  I  went  down  to  his  cabin, 
in  the  quarters;  and,  after  a  short  time  he  came.  I 
was  badly  scared,  and  m}T  heart  was  heavy  and  sore; 
but  he  spoke  comfortingly  to  me,  and  I  was  cheered, 
somewhat,  especially  when  he  promised  to  see 
Matilda,  and  tell  her  of  my  whereabouts.  He  gave 
me  some  food,  and  hid  me  away  for  the  night  in  his 
house.  I  kept  close  all  the  next  day;  and,  at  night, 
when  all  was  still,  Alfred  and  I  crept  out,  and  went 
to  old  Master  Jack's.  The  distance  was  not  great, 
and  we  soon  covered  it.  Alfred  went  in  and  told  my 
wife  that  I  was  outside  and  wanted  to  see  her.  She 
came  out,  and  was  so  frightened  and  nervous  that  she 
commenced  sobbing  and  crying,  and  almost  fainted 
when  I  told  her,  in  low  tones,  that  I  was  going  to  try 
to  get  to  Memphis,  and  that  Alfred  was  helping  to 
plan  a  way  to  this  end.  The  rebels  occupied  both 
roads  leading  to  Memphis,  and  I  was  puzzled  to  know 
how    to    reach    the    city    without    coming    in  contact 


132  THIRTY  YEARS  A  SLAVE. 

with  them.  Two  days  after  I  had  talked  with  my 
wife,  the  rebel  troops  who  were  camped  on  the  Holly 
Springs  road  left  for  some  other  point.  My  friend 
Alfred  found  this  out,  and  came  and  told  me  the 
encouraging-  news.  The  following  night  I  went  to 
old  Master  Jack's  and  told  my  wife  that  the  way  now 
seemed  clear,  and  that  I  was  going  at  once.  I  was 
bent  on  freedom,  and  would  try  for  it  again.  I  urged 
my  wife  not  to  grieve,  and  endeavored  to  encourage 
her  by  saying  that  I  would  return  for  her,  as  soon  as 
possible,  should  I  succeed  in  getting  to  a  land  of  free- 
dom. After  many  tears  and  blessings,  we  parted,  and 
I  left,  Uncle  Alfred  going  with  me  some  three  miles, 
as  I  was  not  acquainted  with  the  road.  When  he  left 
me  I  went  on  alone  with  gloomy  forebodings,  but 
resolved  to  do  my  best  in  this  hazardous  undertaking, 
whatever  might  happen.  The  road  passed  over  hills 
and  through  swamps,  and  I  found  the  traveling  very 
wearisome.  I  had  travelled  some  hours,  and  thought 
I  was  doing  well;  when,  about  one  o'clock  in  the 
night,  I  came  up  out  of  a  long  swamp,  and,  reaching 
the  top  of  a  hill,  I  stopped  for  a  moment's  rest,  raising 
myself  to  an  erect  position  from  that  of  walking, 
inclined  by  reason  of  weariness  and  the  weight  of  the 


SLAVERY  AND  THE  WAR  OF  THE  REBELLION.  133 

saddle  -  bag's  thrown  across  my  shoulders.  The 
weather  was  bad,  a  heavy  mist  had  come  up,  aad  it 
was  so  dark  that  I  could  hardly  see  my  waj\  As  I 
started  on,  a  soldier  yelled  at  me  from  the  mist: 
"Halt!  advance  and  give  the  countersign."  I  stopped 
immediately,  almost  scared  out  of  my  wits.  "Come 
right  up  here,"  said  the  soldier,  "  or  I'll  blow  you  into 
eternity."  I  saw  at  once  he  was  a  rebel  soldier.  I 
knew  not  what  to  do.  This  place  where  I  was  halted 
was  Nelson's  farm,  and  the  house  was  held  as  head- 
quarters for  a  company  of  rebel  soldiers,  known  as 
bushwhackers.  While  they  belonged  to  the  rebel 
army,  the}-  were,  in  a  measure,  independent  of  its 
regulations  and  discipline,  kept  back  in  the  woods, 
ready  for  any  depradation  upon  the  propert}-  of  union- 
ists —  anv  outrage  upon  their  persons.  The  soldier 
who  had  halted  me  took  me  up  to  the  house,  and  all 
began  to  question  me.  I  told  them  that  I  had  been 
sent  on  an  errand,  and  that  I  had  lost  my  way.  The 
next  morning  I  was  taken  about  a  mile  away  down  in 
the  swamp,  over  hills  and  through  winding  paths,  till 
at  last  we  came  to  the  regular  rebel  camp.  I  was  in 
great  fear  and  thought  my  end  had  come.  Here  they 
began  to  question  me  again  —  the  captain  taking  the 


134  THIRTY  YEARS  A  SLAVE. 

lead;  but  I  still  stuck  to  my  story  that  I  had  been  sent 
on  an  errand,  and  had  lost  my  way.  I  knew  that  this 
was  my  only  chance.  The}'  tried  to  make  me  say 
that  I  had  come  from  the  Yankees,  as  they  were  in 
camp  near  Holly  Springs.  They  thought  the  Yankees 
had  sent  me  out  as  a  spy;  but  I  said  the  same  as  at 
first — that  I  had  lost  nry  way.  A  soldier  standing-  by 
said:  "  Oh!  we  will  make  you  talk  better  than  that;  " 
and  stepping-  back  to  his  horse,  he  took  a  sea-grass 
halter,  and  said:  "  I'll  hang  you."  There  was  a  law 
or  regulation  of  the  rebel  government  directing  or 
authorizing  the  hanging  of  any  slave  caught  running 
away;  and  this  fellow  was  going  to  carry  it  out  to  the 
letter.  I  talked  and  pleaded  for  my  life.  My  feelings 
were  indescribable.  God  only  knows  what  they  were. 
Dr.  Carter,  one  of  the  soldiers,  who  knew  me  and  the 
entire  McGee  family,  spoke  up  and  said:  "You  had 
better  let  me  go  and  tell  Mr.  Jack  McGee  about  him." 
The  captain  agreed  to  this,  and  the  doctor  went.  The 
following  day,  Old  Jack  came,  and  steadily  refused  to 
consent  to  my  being  hung.  He  said:  "I  know  Edmund 
would  not  have  him  hung-ung.  He  is  too  valuable- 
aluable.  No,  no!  we  will  put  him  in  jail  and  feed 
him  on  bread  and  water — too  valuable  a  nigger  to  be 
hung-ung." 


SLAVERY  AND  THE  WAR  OF  THE  REBELLION.  135 

They  tried  again  to  make  me  say  that  I  was  with 
the  Yankees.  They  whipped  me  a  while,  then 
questioned  me  again.  The  dog-wood  switches  that 
they  used  stung-  me  terribly.  The}7  were  commonly 
used  in  Mississippi  for  flogging-  slaves — one  of  the  re- 
finements of  the  cruelty  of  the  institution  of  slavery. 
I  refused  to  say  anything  different  from  what  I  had 
said;  but  when  they  had  finished  whipping  me  I  was 
so  sore  I  could  hardly  move.  They  made  up  their 
minds  to  put  me  in  jail  at  Panola,  twenty-two  miles 
away,  to  be  fed  on  bread  and  water.  The  next  day 
was  Sunday,  and  all  arrangements  having  been  made 
for  taking  me  to  the  place  appointed  for  those  whose 
crime  was  a  too  great  love  for  personal  freedom,  they 
started  with  me,  passing  on  the  way  Old  Master 
Jack's,  where  they  halted  to  let  him  know  that  his 
advice  respecting  me  was  to  be  carried  out.  The  old 
man  called  to  my  wife:  "Come  out  and  see  Louis." 
Some  one  had  told  her  that  thej7  were  going  to  hang 
me;  and  I  shall  never  forget  her  looks  as  she  came 
out  in  the  road  to  bid  me  good-by.  One  of  the 
soldiers  was  softened  by  her  agony,  and  whispered  to 
her:  "  Don't  cry,  aunty,  we  are  not  going  to  hang 
him — we    will    only    put    him    in    jail."     I  saw   this 


136  THIRTY  YEARS  A  SLAVE. 

changed  my  wife's  looks  in  a  minute.  I  said  a  few 
words  to  her,  and,  with  a  prayer  for  God's  blessing-  on 
us  both,  we  parted,  and  they  moved  on.  After  we  had 
"•one  about  seven  miles,  we  met  two  soldiers,  who  be- 
longed to  the  regiment  at  Nelson.  They  said: 
"Hello!  where  you  going  with  that  nig-ger?"  The 
two  men  in  charge  of  me  replied:  "  We  are  going  to 
take  him  to  Panola  jail."  "Why,"  said  one  of  the 
soldiers,  "there  is  no  jail  there;  the  Yanks  passed 
through  and  pulled  down  the  doors  and  windows  of 
the  jail,  and  let  all  the  prisoners  out."  This  caused 
a  stop;  and  a  council  of  war  was  held  in  the  fence 
corner,  the  result  of  which  was  a  decision  to  take  me 
back  to  old  Jack  McGee's.  After  we  had  gotten  back 
there,  they  took  me  and  gave  me  another  flogging  to 
satisfy  the  madam.  I  was  never  so  lacerated  before. 
I  could  hardl}'  walk,  so  sore  and  weak  was  I.  The 
law  was  given  me  that  if  ever  I  was  caught  out  in  the 
public  road  again,  by  any  soldier,  I  was  to  be  shot. 
Monday  morning  I  was  sent  to  the  field  to  plow;  and, 
though  I  was  very  stiff  and  my  flesh  seemed  sore  to 
the  bone,  my  skin  drawn  and  shriveled  as  if  dead,  I 
had,  at  least,  to  make  the  attempt  to  work.  To  have 
said:     '"Master,  I  am  too  sore   to  work,"   would  only 


dyJvL^^MCyJi 


f7i 


SLAVERY  AND  THE  WAR  OF  THE  REBELLION.  137 

have  gotten  me  another  whipping-.     So  I  obeyed  with- 
out a  word. 

REBELS  BURN  THEIR  COTTON. 

The  capture  of  Memphis  by  the  Union  troops 
closed  the  principal  cotton  market  of  the  country,  and 
there  was,  as  a  consequence,  an  immense  accumula- 
tion of  the  product  in  the  hands  of  the  farmers  of 
that  region.  They  were,  therefore,  compelled  to  re- 
sort to  temporary  expedients  for  its  protection  from 
the  elements.  Old  Master  Jack  had  his  piled  up  in  a 
long"  rick,  and  shelters  built  over  it.  Other  farmers 
did  the  same.  As  cotton  was  almost  the  only  source 
of  revenue  for  the  farmers,  and  as  there  was  now  no 
opportunity  of  getting  it  to  market,  there  was  such  a 
dearth  of  money  as  had  seldom,  if  ever,  been  known, 
and  a  corresponding  dearth  of  those  necessaries  of 
life  which  money  was  the  only  means  of  procuring. 
The  accumulations  of  our  family  in  this  product  were 
very  great.  While  the  rebel  farmers  were  waiting  for 
a  time  when  thej-  could  turn  their  stores  of  this  valu- 
able article  into  money,  a  proclamation  was  issued  by 
the  rebel  government  that  all  the  owners  of  cotton 
that  had  it  stored  on  their  farms  must  prepare  to  have 
it   burned.     Hundreds   of  rebel    soldiers   marched   to 


138  THIRTY  YEARS  A  SLAVE. 

every  section  of  Mississippi  that  they  could  reach,  and 
applied  the  torch  to  these  cotton  ricks.  The  destruc- 
tion was  enormous.  This  was  to  prevent  the  cotton 
from  falling-  into  the  hands  of  the  Unionists.  Jeff 
Davis  said  to  his  deluded  followers  that  it  was  better 
for  them  to  destroy  this  property  than  to  risk  its  com- 
ing- into  the  possession  of  their  enemies,  since  that 
would  equally  impoverish  themselves,  while  it  might 
result  to  the  pecuniar}*  advantage  of  those  with  whom 
they  were  at  war.  I  know  that  it  was  a  terrible  sight 
when  our  cotton  was  burned.  Hundreds  of  bales  were 
consumed,  and  it  seemed  like  a  wholly  unnecessary 
destruction  of  property,  and,  therefore,  unwise  as  a 
war  measure.  Man)'  were  sorry  that  they  had  acqui- 
esced in  the  polic}*,  as  it  cost  them  thousands  of  dol- 
lars, and  made  mam*  poor.  The}*  thought  that  pos- 
sibly their  farms  might  have  escaped  the  visits  of  the 
Union  soldiers,  and  the  property,  so  much  needed, 
been  saved  in  whole  or  in  part.  The}*  reasoned,  and 
reasoned  correctl}*,  that  their  condition  would  in  no 
sense  have  been  worse  if  their  cotton  had  not  been 
burned  by  their  own  soldiers,  but  might  have  been 
much  better  in  many  cases,  without  any  real  detri- 
ment to  the  rebel  cause.     The  sacrifice  of  the  property 


SLAVERY  AND  THE  WAR  OF  THE  REBELLION.  139 

of  their  own  people,  by  the  rebel  authorities,  was  evi- 
dence of  the  desperation  of  the  condition  of  the  re- 
bellion, and  was  so  regarded  by  not  a  few  at  that 
time.  Those  were  terrible  days.  One  could  see 
anxiety  written  on  every  face  among-  the  whites. 
The  slaves  even  looked  worried  at  times,  though  the 
war  meant  so  much  to  them,  as  they  were  always 
looking-  forward  to  freedom,  at  its  close,  if  the  Union 
troops  were  successful. 

MY    FOURTH     RUNAWAY    TRIP. 

After  I  had  been  working  on  the  farm  about  two 
months,  and  had  thoroughl}-  talked  the  matter  over 
with  Alfred  Dandridge,  we  planned  to  make  a  careful 
and  persistent  effort  to  escape  from  the  land  of  bond- 
age. We  thought  that  as  others,  here  and  there,  all 
through  the  neighborhood,  were  going,  we  would 
make  trial  of  it.  My  wife  and  I  were  at  old  Master 
Jacks;  and,  after  we  had  consulted  with  Alfred  and 
Lydia,  his  wife,  we  all  concluded  to  go  at  once. 
Alfred  had  been  a  teamster  for  Dandridge  for  man}- 
years,  and  was  familiar  with  the  road,  as  he.  had 
hauled  cotton  into  Memphis  for  his  master  for  so  long 
a  time  he  could  hardly  tell  when  he  began.  Matt 
Dandridge   was  a    fellow   servant,   belonging  to    the 


140  THIRTY  YEARS  A  SLAVE. 

same  man,  and  both  had,  as  was  not  unusual,  taken 
their  master's  name,  or,  rather,  were  known  by  it. 
Matt  had  learned  of  our  purpose  to  run  awa}-,  and 
concluded  to  jom  our  party.  So  one  night,  when  all 
was  still,  we  started.  Uncle  Alfred,  as  I  always  called 
him,  was  to  be  our  leader.  He  was  older  than  any  of 
the  rest  of  us,  and  had  had  a  good  deal  of  experience; 
we,  therefore,  all  looked  to  him — in  fact,  we  relied 
entirely  upon  him.  Aftei  we  had  traveled  about 
twelve  miles,  we  came  to  a  swamp,  called  Hicke- 
Halley.  Here  we  stopped,  as  day  was  dawning-,  and 
settled  down  for  the  da}',  as  we  could  travel  only  in 
the  night,  lest  we  should  be  seen  and  caught.  We 
were  wet — our  clothes  soaked  through  from  the  heavy 
dew.  We  had  to  travel  through  corn  fields,  cotton 
patches,  oat  fields  and  underbrush,  not  daring  to  take 
the  main  road.  This  is  why  we  were  so  wet.  Uncle 
Alfred  traveled  wholly  b}*  the  stars — they  were  his 
guide.  He  knew  by  looking  at  them  the  four  cardinal 
points  of  the  compass.  Many  old  slaves  were  guided 
•in  this  way  when  traveling  in  the  night,  and  some 
could  tell  the  time  of  night  by  the  position  of  the 
stars.  We  stayed  in  Hicke-Halley  all  day,  and  in  the 
evening,  when  it  was  dark   enough,   we  started   on 


SLAVERY  AND  THE  WAR  OF  THE  REBELLION.  141 

again,  Uncle  Alfred  offering-  up  a  prayer  to  God  to 
guide  us  safely  through.  Cold  Water  was  our  next 
stopping  place,  and  here  a  difficulty  rose  before  us 
that  made  us  fearful.  We  had  nothing  to  wear  but 
what  we  had  on,  and  not  much  of  that,  so  had  small 
space  for  carrying  anything,  and,  therefore,  had 
brought  with  us  only  a  little  bite  to  eat.  As  we  had 
lived  on  this  small  provision  for  a  day,  there  was  now 
but  little  left  for  our  increasing  wants;  and  the  diffi- 
culty of  securing  anj'thing  from  the  houses  without 
danger  of  detection  was  almost  insurmountable.  But 
we  felt  encouraged  as  we  thought  of  what  we  were 
striving  for,  and  sped  on  our  way.  But  the  way  was 
hard,  for  sometimes  we  got  completely  stuck  in  brier 
patches,  and  had  to  turn  and  go  back,  in  order  to  find 
a  way  out.  Old  logs  and  driftwood,  that  had  been 
piled  up  year  after  year,  were  other  obstacles  in  our 
way;  and  one  can  imagine  how  hard  it  was  to  make 
our  way  through  such  a  mass  of  brush  and  forrest  by 
the  dim  light  of  the  stars  as  they  struggled  through 
the  dense  branches  of  the  trees.  We  stumbled  on, 
however,  as  best  we  could,  each  fearful,  yet  silently 
praying  for  guidance  and  help.  When  within  four  or 
five  miles  of  Cold  Water,  Uncle  Alfred  stopped,  and 


142  Thirty  years  a  slave. 

cautioned  us  not  to  speak  above  a  whisper,  as  the 
rebel  troops  were  camped  on  both  sides  of  us.  We 
were  in  a  swamp  between  the  two  roads,  gradually 
working  our  way  through  to  the  river,  as  we  could  not 
go  on  either  of  the  roads  for  fear  of  detection.  At 
the  bridges,  where  these  roads  crossed  the  river,  there 
were  rebel  camps,  and  it  was  useless  for  us  to  think  of 
crossing  either.  We,  therefore,  worked  our  way  care- 
fully through  the  thicket  that  we  were  in  until  we 
came  within  sight  of  the  river.  Then  Uncle  Alfred 
went  ahead,  creeping  a  few  steps,  then  stopping  to 
see  if  the  river  was  clear  of  soldiers.  From  this 
point  it  was  some  two  and  a  half  miles  to  the  bridges, 
each  way;  and  it  was  our  idea  that  if  we  could  cross 
here  without  being  seen  by  the  soldiers,  we  would  be 
all  right.  Uncle  Alfred  came  back  to  us  and  told  us 
that  he  thought  the  way  was  clear.  "I  can  not  hear 
a  sound,"  said  he,  "  so  let  us  go  on.'1  We  followed 
the  river  down  until  we  came  to  a  place  where  we 
could  cross.  Here  we  found  some  drift-wood — an  old 
tree  had  been  blown  down,  nearly  across  the  river, 
leaving  a  space  of  about  twenty  feet.  Over  this 
natural  bridge  we  crept  to  the  open  space  which  we 
waded,  the  water  being  up  to  our  knees;  but  we  did 


SLAVERY  AND  THE  WAR  OE  THE  REBELLION.  143 

not  mind  this.  There  was  no  talking-  above  a 
whisper,  for  fear  of  being-  heard  by  the  soldiers. 
Daylight  had  begun  to  dawn,  and  we  felt  good  that 
we  had  succeeded  thus  far.  We  went  on  quietly  until 
we  got  entirely  out  of  the  swamp  and  reached  some 
hills.  The  woods  were  on  each  side  of  us  and  still 
thick;  so  we  stopped  here,  on  the  side  of  a  hill,  where 
the  sun  shone  brightly  on  us,  expecting  to  rest  for  the 
day.  Our  clothes  had  already  become  quite  dry  from 
the  sunshine;  and,  so  far,  we  felt  all  right.  Alfred 
and  I  had  made  a  turn  around  the  place,  listening  to 
see  if  we  could  hear  any  noise,  or  see  any  trace  of 
soldiers;  but  we  discovered  no  trace  of  them,  and 
went  back  to  our  stopping  place.  I  had  been  asleep 
and  some  of  the  others  were  still  asleep,  when  sud- 
denly I  heard  the  yelp  of  blood  hounds  in  the  distance. 
It  seemed  quite  far  away  at  first,  but  the  sound  came 
nearer  and  nearer,  and  then  we  heard  men  yelling. 
We  knew  now  that  they  were  on  our  trail,  and  became 
so  frightened  that  we  all  leaped  to  our  feet,  and  were 
about  to  run,  when  Uncle  Alfred  said:  "  Stop  child- 
ren, let  me  oil  you  feet."  He  had  with  him  a  bottle 
of  ointment  made  of  turpentine  and  onions,  a  prepar- 
ation used  to  throw  hounds  off  a  trail.     All  stopped; 


144  THIRTY  YEARS  A  SLAVE. 

and  the  women,  having-  their  feet  anointed  first, 
started  off,  Uncle  Alfred  telling-  them  to  run  in  dif- 
ferent directions.  He  and  I  were  the  last  to  start. 
Alfred  said:  "  Don't  let  the  bushes  touch  you;"  at  the 
same  time  he  ran  through  the  bushes  with  such  a 
rattling  noise  one  could  have  heard  him  a  great  dis- 
tance. He  wore  one  of  those  old  fashioned  oil  cloth 
coats  made  in  Virginia;  and,  as  he  ran,  the  bushes, 
striking  against  the  coat,  made  a  noise  like  the  beat- 
ing of  a  tin  board  with  sticks.  The  funny  part  of  it 
was  that,  having  cautioned  us  to  be  careful  about 
noise,  he  made  more  than  all  of  us.  By  this  time  the 
woods  were  resounding  with  the  yelping  of  the 
hounds  and  the  cries  of  their  masters.  The  hounds 
numbered  some  fourteen.  The  men  howled  and 
cheered  in  concert  with  the  brutes,  for  they  knew  that 
they  were  on  the  right  trail,  and  it  would  be  but  a 
short  time  before  they  caught  us  all.  I  had  gotten 
further  away  than  any  of  them.  Having  run  about  a 
mile,  I  came  to  a  farm,  and  started  across  an  open 
field,  hoping  to  reach  a  wood  beyond,  where  I  might 
conceal  myself.  Before  I  was  half  way  across  the 
field,  on  looking  back,  I  saw  the  dogs  coming  over  the 
fence,  and  knowing   there  was   no  chance  of  nry  get- 


SLAVERY  AND  THE  WAR  OE  THE  REBELLION.  145 

ting  to  the  woods,  I  turned  around,  and  ran  back  to  a 
persimmon  tree,  and  just  had  time  to  run  up  one  of  the 
branches  when  the  dogs  came  upon  the  ground.  I 
looked  and  saw  the  men,  Williams  the  nigger-catcher, 
and  Dr.  Henry  and  Charles  Dandridge.  As  soon 
as  Williams  rode  up,  he  told  me  to  come  down, 
but  I  was  so  frightened  I  began  to  cry,  yet  came 
down  trembling.  The  dogs  laid  hold  of  me  at  once, 
tearing  my  clothes  and  biting  my  flesh.  Dr.  Dand- 
ridge was  just  riding  up,  and  seeing  what  was  hap- 
pening, yelled  out  to  Williams:  "  I  thought  your 
dogs  didn't  bite."  "Oh!  well,"  said  Williams,  "he 
aint  hurt — we've  got  to  let  'em  bite  a  little." 

The}-  took  us  all  back  to  the  fence  where  I  crossed 
over,  all  the  others  having  been  caught.  Our  hearts 
were  filled  with  dismay.  All  looked  as  if  they  were 
condemned  to  be  hung.  We  knew  not  what  was  to  be 
done  with  us.  The  women  were  pitiful  to  see,  crying 
and  moaning — all  courage  utterly  gone.  The}'  started 
back  with  us  to  Old  Master  Jack's,  at  Panola,  and  we 
stopped  for  the  night  at  a  small  farm  house.  The  old 
woman  who  kept  it  said,  tauntingly:  "  You  niggers 
going  to  the  Yankees?  You  all  ought  to  be  killed." 
We  started   on   the  following  morning,  and  got  back 


140  THIRTY  YEARS  A  SLAVE. 

home  at  one  o'clock  in  the  afternoon.  All  of  us  were 
whipped.  All  the  members  of  the  family  were  very 
angry.  Old  Lady  Jack  McGee  was  so  enraged  that 
she  said  to  my  wife:  "  I  thought  you  were  a  Christ- 
ian. You'll  never  see  your  God."  She  seemed  to 
think  that  because  Matilda  had  sought  freedom  she 
had  committed  a  great  sin. 

incidents. 

Ever  since  the  beginning  of  the  war,  and  the 
slaves  had  heard  that  possibly  they  might  some  time 
be  free,  they  seemed  unspeakably  happy.  They  were 
afraid  to  let  the  masters  know  that  the}-  ever  thought 
of  such  a  thing,  and  the}T  never  dreamed  of  speaking 
about  it  except  among  themselves.  The}-  were  a 
happy  race,  poor  souls!  notwithstanding  their  down- 
trodden condition.  They  would  laugh  and  chat  about 
freedom  in  their  cabins;  andman}T  a  little  rh}Tme  about 
it  originated  among  them,  and  was  softly  sung  over 
their  work.  I  remember  a  song  that  Aunt  Kitty,  the 
cook  at  Master  Jack's,  used  to  sing.  It  ran  something 
like  this: 

There'll  be  no  more  talk  about  Monday,  by  and  by, 
But  evei"3r  day  will  be  Sunday,  by  and  by. 

The  old  woman  was  singing,  or  rather  humming, 


SLAVERY  AND  THE  WAR  OE  THE  REBELLION.  147 

it  one  day,  and  old  lady  McGee  heard  her.  She  was 
busy  getting-  her  dinner,  and  I  suppose  never  realized 
she  was  singing-  such  an  incendiar}*  piece,  when  old 
Mrs.  McGee  broke  in  upon  her:  "  Don't  think  you  are 
going  to  be  free;  you  darkies  were  made  b}7  God  and 
ordained  to  wait  upon  us."  Those  passages  of  Scrip- 
ture which  refer  to  master  and  servants  were  always 
cited  to  us  when  we  heard  the  Word  preached;  and 
they  were  interpeted  as  meaning  that  the  relation  of 
master  and  slave  was  right  and  proper — that  they 
were  rightly  the  masters  and  we  the  slaves. 

I  remember,  not  long  after  Jeff  Davis  had  been 
elected  president  of  the  Confederacy,  that  I  happened 
to  hear  old  Master  Jack  talking  to  some  of  the  mem- 
bers of  the  family  about  the  war,  etc.  All  at  once  the 
old  man  broke  out:  "  And  what  do  }tou  think!  that 
rascal,  Abraham  Lincoln,  has  called  for  300,000  more 
men.  What  is  Jeff  Davis  doin'-doin'?  "  He  talked 
on,  and  seemed  so  angr}x  that  he  gave  no  one  a  chance 
to  answer:  "Jeff  Davis  is  a  grand  rascal-rascal,,, 
said  he,  "  he  ought  to  go  into  the  field  himself."  At 
first  all  the  Southerners  were  jubilant  over  Davis;  but 
as  they  were  losing  so,  and  the  Unionists  gaining, 
they  grew  angry  and  denounced  him  oftentimes  in  un- 
sparing terms. 


148  THIRTY  YEARS  A  SLAVE. 

UNION    RAID    AT     MASTER'S    FARM. 

During-  the  time  the  Union  headquarters  were  at 
Helena,  a  Union  gun-boat  came  down  the  river  as  far 
as  Boliva,  and  stopped  at  Miles  McGee's.  The  sol- 
diers made  a  raid  through  the  farm,  taking  chickens, 
turkeys,  meat  and  everything  that  they  could  lay 
hands  on.  During  this  raid  Miles  McGee  came  out- of 
the  house  with  a  gun,  and  shot  the  commanding  officer 
of  the  party.  He  became  alarmed  over  what  he  had 
done,  and  hid  in  the  cabin  of  one  of  the  servants.  He 
never  came  near  the  house.  The  Union  soldiers  came 
three  different  times  to  catch  him,  but  never  succeeded. 
The  last  time  they  came,  he  made  for  the  canebrake, 
and  hid  himself  there  until  they  were  gone.  But 
thoug'h  he  had  escaped  their  righteous  vengeance,  he 
became  so  nervous  that  he  left  his  hiding  place  in  the 
canebraker,  and  went  to  Atlanta,  Ga.,  and  staid  there 
among  friends  until  things  became  more  quiet.  At  last 
wearying  of  this,  he  determined  to  return  to  old 
Master  Jack's,  but  not  to  his  own  home.  Word  had 
been  received  of  his  coming,  and  great  preparations 
were  made  for  his  reception.  After  he  had  started  on 
his  return,  he  was  taken  ill  on  the  train,  and  was  left 
at  a  small  town  called   Jackson,  where,  he  soon  died. 


SLAVERY  AND  THE  AVAR  OF  THE  REBELLION.  149 

I  drove  the  family  to  the  depot  upon  the  day  of  his  ex- 
pected arrival,  and  as  the  train  came  in,  the  women 
waved  their  handkerchiefs;  and,  when  the  conductor 
stepped  off,  they  asked  him  if  Mr.  McGee  was  aboard. 
He  said  no — "  I  have  his  remains."  The  scene  that 
followed,  I  can  not  describe — such  wailing- and  scream- 
ing-! I  could  not  but  feel  sad,  even  though  they  had 
treated  me  so  meanhT,  causing  the  death  of  my  chil- 
dren, and  separating  me  from  my  wife.  Their  grief 
was  indeed  great.  The  sad  news  was  conve3Ted  to  his 
mother,  old  Mrs.  Jack  McGee,  at  the  house  by  an  ad- 
vance messenger,  and  we  soon  followed  with  the  body. 
He  was  the  favorite  son  of  his  mother,  and  her  grief 
was  very  great.  But  for  his  wanton  shooting  of  the 
Union  officer,  he  would  probably  not  have  met  his 
death  as  he  did. 

UNION    SOLDIERS    PASS    THE    PANOLA    HOME. 

One  winter  night,  while  I  was  at  old  Master 
Jack's,  I  was  awakened  by  a  rumbling  noise  like  that 
of  heavy  wagons,  which  continued  steadily  and  so 
long  a  time  that  I  finally  concluded  it  must  be  an 
army  passing,  and  such  I  found  to  be  the  case,  upon 
getting  up  and  venturing  out,  the  rumbling  which  had 
awakened  me  being  caused  by   the   passing  artillery. 


ISO  THIRTY  YEARS  A  SLAVE. 

I  was  afraid  to  go  out  straight  to  the  soldiers,  but 
would  take  a  few  steps  at  a  time,  then  stop  and  listen 
behind  a  tree  or  the  shrubbery.  All  seemed  quiet — 
there  was  no  talking-.  I  had  listened  about  twenty 
minutes  when  there  seemed  to  be  a  halt  at  the  creek, 
some  distance  from  the  house.  Soon  afterwards  I 
heard  the  command  given:  "  Forward!  "  I  at  once 
made  up  my  mind  that  they  were  Yankee  soldiers.  I 
got  on  my  knees  and  crawled  to  the  fence,  not  daring 
to  go  openly,  fearing  that  they  might  hear  or  see 
me  and  shoot,  supposing  me  to  be  a  spy.  I  went  back 
into  the  house  and  told  my  wife  that  the}-  were 
Yankees  who  had  just  passed.  ''Uncle  George,"  said 
I,  "  this  would  be  a  good  time  for  us  to  go.'"  "Oh, 
no,"  said  he,  "  we  are  not  quite  read}-."  Uncle 
George's  cabin  was  where  m}-  wife  and  I  stayed  while 
at  old  Master  Jack's.  .  In  the  morning  I  was  to  carr}T 
a  parcel  to  Como,  a  place  not  far  from  home,  to  Mr. 
James  McGee,  who  was  in  the  rebel  army.  It  was 
not  quite  daylight  when  I  made  ready  to  go  on  m}* 
trip,  for  I  was  anxious  to  find  out  more  about  the 
soldiers.  Going  to  the  stable  and  saddling  my  horse, 
I  mounted  and  rode  out  to  the  big  gate  leading  to  the 
main  road,  just  as  day  was  dawning.     As  I  dismounted 


SLAVERY  AND  THE  WAR  OF  THE  REBELLION.  151 

to  open  the  gate,  some  soldiers  were  passing-  and  an 
officer  sung-  out  to  me,  "Hello!  which  wa}-  are  you 
going."  I  said  "  to  Como,  to  earn*  this  parcel  of 
clothing  to  my  young  master  in  the  war."  "You 
have  a  fine  horse,"  said  the  officer,  "  I  guess  I  will 
exchange  horses  with  you."  He  took  my  package  of 
clothing  and  some  letters  which  I  had  to  mail  and  my 
horse,  leaving  me  his,  which  was  a  very  poor  animal. 
I  was  badly  scared  at  this  peformance,  fearing  that  I 
would  be  severely  whipped  for  the  loss  of  the  horse 
and  package.  Yet  how  could  I  help  it?  We  knew 
nothing  but  to  serve  a  white  man,  no  matter  what  he 
asked  or  commanded.  As  a  matter  of  course,  I  did 
not  go  to  Como,  as  I  had  nothing  to  take — the  officer 
had  everything,  but  went  back  to  the  cabin.  I  sup- 
posed that  the  soldiers  had  all  passed;  but  in  about 
half  an  hour  Aunt  Kitt}*,  on  looking  out  of  her  cabin 
window,  exclaimed:  "  JVTy  God!  just  look  at  the 
soldiers!  "  The  yard  was  covered  with  the  blue  coats. 
Another  venerable  slave  said:  "My  Lord!  de  year  of 
jubilee  am  come."  During  the  excitement  I  ran  to  the 
big  house,  and  told  the  madam  that  the  Yankees  were 
there,  and  had  taken  my  horse  and  every  thing  I  had. 
Old  Master  Jack  had  heard  the  news,  but  was  not  able 


152  THIRTY  YEARS  A  SLAVE. 

to  come  out.  He  had  arisen,  but,  when  he  knew  of 
the  presence  of  the  Yankees,  he  went  back  to  bed, 
calling-  for  Kitt}-  to  get  him  a  mush  poultice.  "  Tell 
Kitty-ity-ity  to  get  me  a  mush  poultice-oltice."  It 
was  customary,  after  the  beginning-  of  the  war,  for 
him  to  take  sick,  and  call  for  a  poultice  to  be  put  upon 
his  stomach  whenever  he  heard  of  the  Yankees  being 
near.  He  and  many  like  him  were  especially  valorous 
only  when  the  blue  coats  were  far  away.  The  soldiers 
went  into  the  dairy  and  drank  all  the  milk,  helped 
themselves  to  butter,  cheese,  meat,  bread  and  ever}7- 
thing  in  sight  which  they  wanted.  Nothing  was  said 
to  them  by  the  white  folks,  but  the  slaves  were  glad, 
and  whispered  to  each  other:  "  Ah!  we's  goin'  to  be 
free.'"  Old  Master  Jack,  lying  on  his  couch  would 
ask  evenr  little  while:  "  Where  are  they?  Are  they 
gone?  "  After  they  had  all  left  the  premises,  he  said  : 
"  My  God!  I  can't  stand  it.  Them  devils-evils  are 
just  g-oin'  through  the  country  destroy  in  everything.' 
I  was  sent  down  to  get  Uncle  Peter  for  old  master, 
and  when  Peter  came  up  the  old  man  asked:  "  Well, 
did  any  of  the  servants  go  away?  And,  sir,  them 
devils  took  Louis'  horse  and  the  clothes  he  had  for  his 
young  master." 


SLAVERY  AND  THE  WAR  OF  THE  REBELLION.  153 
HIDING    VALUABLES     FROM    THE    YANKEES. 

Right  after  this  the  McGees  commenced  planning1 
to  put  away  their  valuables,  to  keep  them  from  the 
Union  soldiers.  All  the  servants  had  to  fill  up  their 
bed-ticks  with  fine  gin  cotton — -the  lint  part — for  safe 
keeping.  Great  boxes  and  barrels  were  packed  full 
of  their  best  things,  and  put  into  the  cellar,  under 
the  house.  It  was  not  exactly  a  cellar,  but  a  large 
shallow  excavation,  which  held  a  great  deal.  We  put 
all  the  solid  silver  ware,  such  as  cake  baskets,  trays, 
spoons,  forks,  dishes,  etc.,  in  boxes,  and  buried  them 
under  the  hen  house.  Great  packages  of  the  finest 
clothing  I  had  to  make  up,  and  these  were  given  in 
charge  of  certain  servants  whose  duty  it  was  to  run 
into  the  big  house  and  get  them,  whenever  they  heard 
that  the  Yankees  were  coming,  and  take  them  to  their 
cabins.  This  was  a  shrewd  arrangement,  for  the 
soldiers  never  went  into  the  cabins  to  get  anything. 
When  the  soldiers  had  passed,  these  packages  were 
taken  back  to  the  house.  It  speaks  well  for  the 
honesty  and  faithfulness  of  the  slaves  that  such  trusts 
could  be  devolved  upon  them,  notwithstanding  all  the 
cruelties  inflicted  upon  them  by  their  masters. 


154  THIRTY  YEARS  A  SLAVE. 

DEATH    TO    RUNAWAY    SLAVES. 

It  was  about  this  time,  that  the  law  or  regulation 
of  the  rebel  government  was  promulgated,  authorizing 
or  directing  the  shooting  or  hanging  of  an}-  slave 
caught  trying  to  get  away  to  the  Union  army.  This 
barbarous  law  was  carried  out  in  many  cases,  for 
every  little  while  we  would  hear  of  some  slave  who 
was  caught  running  away,  and  hung  or  shot.  A 
slave  belonging  to  Boss,  ran  away,  and  got  safety 
within  the  Union  lines;  but  he  returned  to  get  his 
sister.  The}*  both  got  awaj-  from  the  house,  but  had 
gone  onl}T  a  few  miles,  when  William  McGee  overtook 
them,  and  shot  the  man  dead.  William  boasted  of 
this,  but  told  Uncle  Peter,  the  foreman,  that  he  never 
wanted  it  mentioned. 

SLAVES    HUNG    AND    LEFT   TO    ROT    AS    A    WARNING. 

Two  slaves  belonging  to  one  Wallace,  one  of  our 
nearest  neighbors,  had  tried  to  escape  to  the  Union 
soldiers,  but  were  caught,  brought  back  and  hung. 
All  of  our  servants  were  called  up,  told  every  detail 
of  the  runaway  and  capture  of  the  poor  creatures 
and  their  shocking  murder,  and  then  compelled 
to  go  and  see  them  where  the}-  hung.  I  never 
shall  forsfet  the  horror  of  the    scene — it  was  sicken- 


SLAVERY  AND  THE  WAR  OF  THE  REBELLION.  155 

ing\  The  bodies  hung-  at  the  roadside,  where  the 
execution  took  place,  until  the  blue  flies  literally 
swarmed  around  them,  and  the  stench  was  fearful. 
This  barbarous  spectacle  was  for  the  purpose  of 
showing-  the  passing  slaves  what  would  be  the  fate 
of  those  caught  in  the  attempt  to  escape,  and  to  se- 
cure the  circulation  of  the  details  of  the  awful  affair 
among  them,  throughout  all  the  neighborhood.  It 
is  difficult  at  this  day  for  those  not  familiar  with 
the  atrocities  of  the  institution  of  slavery  to  believe 
that  such  scenes  could  ever  have  been  witnessed  in 
this  or  any  other  civilized  land,  as  a  result  simply 
of  a  human  being's  effort  to  reach  a  portion  of  the 
country,  where  the  freedom  of  which  it  was  said  to 
be  the  home,  could  be  enjoyed  without  molestation. 
Yet  such  was  the  horrible  truth  in  not  one  case 
alone,  but  in  man}-,   as  I  know  only  too  well. 

RUNAWAY    SLAVE    CAUGHT    AND    WHIPPED. 

One  day  while  I  was  waiting  at  dinner,  some  of 
the  children  from  the  slave  quarters  came  running 
into  the  house,  and  said  to  old  Master  Jack: 
"  Uncle  John  is  going  away — he  is  down  to  the 
creek."  He  had  been  put  in  the  carpenter  shop, 
fastened  in  the  stocks,    but   by   some  means  he  had 


156  THIRTY  YEARS  A  SLAVE. 

gotten  the  stocks  off  his  feet,  and  got  lose.  All  in 
the  house  immediatel}*  got  up  and  ran  out.  Old 
master  told  me  to  run  and  catch  the  runaway.  I 
did  not  like  to  do  it,  but  had  to  obey.  Old  master 
and  I  ran  in  pursuit,  and  soon  overtook  him.  He 
could  not  run,  as  the  stocks  were  still  on  his  arms 
and  neck.  We  brought  him  back,  and  he  was 
"staked  out" — that  is,  four  stakes  were  driven  into 
the  ground,  the  arms  tied  to  two  and  the  legs  to 
the  other  two.  He  was  then  paddled  with  the 
whipping  paddle  upon  the  bottom  of  his  feet,  by 
old  Master  Jack,  until  blood  blisters  arose,  when 
he  took  his  knife  and  opened  them.  I  was  then 
sent  for  salt  and  water,  and  the  bruises  of  the  suf- 
fering chattel  were  washed  as  usual  in  the  stinging 
brine. 

A    HOME    GUARD    ACCIDENTALLY    SHOOTS    HIMSELF. 

After  the  capture  of  Memphis  by  the  Union 
forces,  the  soldiers  were  in  the  habit  of  making 
raids  into  the  surrounding  country.  These  were  a 
source  of  alarm  and  anxiety  among  the  people,  and 
they  were  constantly  on  the  watch  to  defend  their 
propert}'  and  themselves,  as  best  the}'  could.  One 
day  Dr.     Charles    Dandridg-e    went    over    to   one    of 


SLAVERY  AND  THE  WAR  OF  THE  REBELLION.  157 

our  neighbors,  Mr.  Bobor's,  to  practice  shooting-, 
and  to  see  if  he  had  heard  anything-  new  about  the 
war.  It  was  the  custom  of  the  home-guards  to 
meet  weekly,  and  practice  with  their  fire-arms,  in 
order  to  be  the  better  prepared,  as  they  pretended, 
for  any  sudden  incursion  of  the  now  dreaded  Yankee. 
Mr.  Bobor  had  gotten  a  Yankee  pistol  from  some 
friend,  who  was  in  the  army,  and  Dr.  Charles 
wanted  to  see  and  try  it.  It  was  shown  him,  and 
its  workings  explained.  He  took  it  and  began 
shooting,  and  in  showing  the  other  men  how 
quickly  he  could  shoot  a  Yankee,  and  mount  his  horse, 
he  accidentally  shot  himself  under  the  short  rib  near 
his  heart,  and  fell  to  the  ground.  All  the  men  came 
running  to  him,  picked  him  up  and  carried  him  into 
the  house,  immediately  sending  word  to  Mrs.  Dan- 
dridge  and  Master  Jack  McGee,  his  father-in-law. 
The  boys  came  hurling  in,  and  told  us  what  had 
happened.  I  hitched  up  and  drove  Boss  over  to  Mr.  Bo- 
bor's. We  found  the  wounded  man  rapidly  sinking; 
and  when,  a  little  later,  his  wife  came,  he  could  not 
speak — only  clasped  her  hand.  He  died  that  night, 
and  we  carried  his  body  to  the  home,  which  so  short  a 
time  before,   he  had  left   in   health  and  high  spirits. 


158  THIRTY  YEARS  A  SLAVE. 

No  casket  was  to  be  had — everj'thing  of  that  kind  had 
been  consumed  or  shut  out  by  the  war.  Accordingly 
two  slaves  were  ordered  to  make  a  coffin,  which  they 
did,  using"  plain  boards.  It  was  then  covered  with 
black  alapaca  from  a  dress  of  the  madam,  and  lined 
with  the  cloth  from  Mrs.  Dandridge's  opera  cloak.  The 
regular  material  used  for  these  purposes  was  not  to  be 
had.  By  the  time  the  coffin  was  read}*,  the  body  was 
so  bloated,  that  it  could  not  be  got  into  it.  Resort 
was  then  had  to  a  plain  box,  and  in  this  the  body  of 
another  of  the  stricken  family  group  was  laid  away 
At  the  suggestion  of  old  Master  Jack,  the  coffin  was 
put  up  in  the  carriage  house,  for  safe  keeping,  he 
sa}*ing  it  would  do  for  him  to  be  burried  in.  Sorrow 
had  come  to  this  family  with  such  crushing  force, 
that  their  former  pride  and  boastful  spirit  had  given 
place  to  utter  dejection. 

SUBSTITUTES    FOR    COFFEE. 

During  the  war  everything  was  scarce  and  dear, 
and  substitutes  were  devised  for  many  of  those  things 
which  had  formel}*  been  regarded  as  the  necessaries 
of  life.  Sweet  potatoes  were  peeled,  then  cut  in 
small  pieces  and  put  out  in  the  sun  to  dry.  They 
were  then  used  as  a  substitute  for   coffee,    when  that 


SLAVERY  AND  THE  WAR  OF  THE  REBELLION.  159 

article  became  so  scarce,  toward  the  close  of  the  war. 
Great  quantities  of  this  preparation  were  used.  Okra 
was  another  substitute  for  coffee.  It  was  dried  in  the 
pod,  then  the  seeds  shelled  out,  and  these  were  dried 
ag"ain  and  prepared  something-  as  the  coffee  is.  This 
made  a  delicious  drink  when  served  with  cream,  being- 
very  rich  and  pleasant  to  the  taste.  Quinine  was  a 
medicine  that  had  been  of  almost  universal  use  in  the 
south;  yet  it  became  so  scarce  that  it  was  sold  at 
seven  dollars  a  bottle,  and  could  not  often  be  had  at 
that  price.  Lemon  leaves  were  used  as  a  substitute 
in  cases  of  chills  and  fever.  The  leaves  were  made 
into  a  tea,  and  g-iven  to  the  patient  hot,  to  produce 
prespiration.  During  an  attack  of  chills,  I  was 
treated  in  this  manner  to  some  advantag-e.  At  any 
rate  I  g-ot  well,  which  can  not  always  be  said  of  all 
methods  of  treatment. 


CHAPTER  IV. 

REBELLION  WEAKENING— SLAVES'  HOPES 
STRENGTHENING, 

m'GEES    SLAVES   TAKEN    TO    ALABAMA. 

While  I  was  absent  on  my  last  runaway  trip,  the 
Yankees  had  made  a  raid  through  Panola;  and  our 
people  had  become  greatly  frightened.  As  soon  as 
they  had  got  back  with  me  and  my  fellow  runaways, 
they  assembled  a  gang-  of  slaves  for  the  purpose  of  tak- 
ing them  to  Atlanta,  Ga.,  to  get  them  out  of  the  reach 
of  the  Union  soldiers.  Among  the  slaves  selected  for  the 
transfer  were  myself,  my  wife  Matilda,  and  the  seams- 
tress. The  others  all  belonged  to  Dr.  Dandridge  and 
Blanton  McGee.  Both  the  Drs.  Dandridge  went  with 
us  to  Atlanta.  We  traveled  across  the  country  until 
we  came  to  Demopolis,  Alabama,  where  we  found  Boss 
camped  on  the  bank  of  the  Tombigbee  river  with  all 
the  farm  slaves  from  Bolivar  county.  This  was  the 
first  time  I  had  seen  Boss  since  he  was  captured  and 
taken  to  Helena.     As  my   wife   and   I   were   the  onl}* 


REBELLION  WEAKENING.  161 

ones  in  the  gang-  who  belonged  to  Boss,  we  left  those 
with  whom  we  had  come  and  joined  his  gang-.  We 
all  then  went  aboard  a  boat  and  were  taken  to  the 
salt  works,  situated  on  the  Tombigbee,  ninety  miles 
from  Mobile.  These  salt  works  belonged  to  the  rebel 
government.  The  first  president  of  the  works  was 
Mr.  Woolsey,  of  Salem,  Alabama.  During  Mr. 
Woolsey's  term,  the  first  part  of  1864,  when  we  had 
been  there  some  time,  he  wrote  to  Boss  asking  if  he 
would  sell  nryself  and  wife,  and  offering  $3,000  for 
both  of  us.  Boss  was  indignant  at  this  and  curtly  re- 
fused. My  wife  acted  as  cook  at  the  salt  works,  in 
the  headquarters  for  the  president,  managers  and 
clerks.  Mr.  Woolse}T  was  delighted  with  her  cooking; 
her  bread  and  rolls,  he  said,  could  not  be  surpassed. 
m'gee's  great  scheme. 
When  the  election  of  officers  of  the  works  came 
off  in  the  fall,  Mr.  Gallatin  McGee  was  chosen  presi- 
dent. Boss  then  hired  us  all,  about  100  in  number, 
to  labor  in  these  works,  but  he,  of  course,  received  all 
the  revenue.  The  work  assigned  me  was  that  of 
butler  at  headquarters,  and  my  wife  was  cook.  Both 
women  and  children,  as  well  as  men,  were  employed 
in  these  works.     After  some  months  labor  here,  soon 


162  THIRTY  YEARS  A  SLAVE. 

after  Gallatin  McGee  became  president,  Matilda  and 
I  were  removed  to  the  Montgomer}7  headquarters, 
where  we  remained  until  nearl}T  Christmas.  A  few 
days  before  that  time,  Boss  came  to  Montgomery  and 
arranged  for  us  to  meet  him  in  Mobile.  We  started 
at  the  appointed  time,  reached  the  cit}T  in  the  morn- 
ing-, and  I  went  directly  to  the  hotel  where  he  told  me 
he  would  be.  I  found  him  at  once,  and  he  informed 
me  all  about  his  plans  for  the  future,  and  what  he  ex- 
pected to  accomplish.  He  had  purchased  an  island  in 
the  bay,  a  little  way  from  Mobile,  where  he  had  de- 
cided to  establish  salt  works  of  his  own.  All  the 
brick  and  lumber  for  the  buildings  had  been  carried 
there,  and  work  upon  them  was  to  be  commenced  im- 
mediately after  Christmas.  He  intended  to  make  a 
home  for  the  family  on  the  island;  and,  as  soon  as  he 
could  complete  the  works,  to  remove  all  his  hands  from 
the  government  works  to  his  own.  He  was  very  en- 
thusiastic over  this  scheme,  claiming  that  he  would 
make  far  more  monej'  by  it  than  he  was  then  receiv- 
ing from  hiring  out  his  slaves.  He  told  me  that  he 
would  remain  in  Mobile  two  or  three  days  and  would 
go  to  Panola  to  spend  the  holidays,  after  which  he 
intended  to   bring   all  the  family  to  Mobile,   and  re- 


REBELLION  WEAKENING.  163 

main  there  until  the  island  was  in  readiness  to  be  oc- 
cupied. There  was  to  be  a  general  break  up  of  the 
old  home,  and  the  beginning-  of  a  new  manner  of  life. 
I  stayTed  in  his  room  at  the  hotel  all  the  forenoon, 
listening"  to  his  plans;  then  I  went  back  where  my 
wife  was  stopping.  As  I  left  his  room,  he  said: 
"Lou,"  as  he  always  called  me,  "I  will  see  you  and 
Matilda  at  the  boat  this  evening. "  We  went  to  the 
boat  at  the  appointed  time  and  saw  the  Boss,  but  he 
did  not  come  near  us.  As  the  boat  was  about  to  put 
off,  I  looked  and  saw  him  walking  up  and  down  the 
levee,  apparently^  much  excited,  running  his  hands 
nervously  through  his  hair — a  habit  common  to  him 
when  he  was  worried.  He  seemed  greatly  distressed. 
The  military  situation  troubled  him,  for  the  Union 
army  had  conquered  nearly  everything;  and  the  fact 
now  stared  him  in  the  face  that  he  would  soon  lose  his 
slaves.  He  never  dreamed  in  the  beginning  of  the 
war  that  the  Unionists  would  conquer,  and  that  the 
slaves  would  be  freed;  but  now  he  saw  that  not  only 
all  his  wealth  in  the  bodies  and  souls  of  men  was  slip- 
ping away  from  him,  but  that  much,  if  not  all  of  the 
gain  which  these  chattels  had  brought  him  was  likely 
to  "  take  wings  and  fly  away." 


164  THIRTY  YEARvS  A  SLAV£. 

m'gee's  death. 

We  returned  to  the  salt  works  the  morning-  after 
leaving-  Mobile.  Boss  remained  two  days  in  Mobile, 
and  then  started  for  Panola,  the  home  of  his  father- 
in-law;  but,  on  his  way,  he  was  taken  sick,  having 
contracted  a  heavy  cold  which  ran  into  pneumonia,  and 
he  lasted  only  a  short  time,  dying  on  New  Year's  day. 
He  had  taken  cold  in  bringing  the  slaves  from  Boli- 
var over  the  river  on  barges.  The  river  was  over- 
flowed about  fifty  miles  out,  and  the  only  wa}T  he 
could  get  the  slaves  across  was  by  using  large  barges 
made  of  logs.  They  were  several  days  floating  down 
in  this  wa}x,  before  he  could  get  out  to  the  railroad  at 
Jackson,  Miss.,  where  he  transferred  them  to  the  cars. 
This  was  too  much  of  an  exposure  and  it  killed  him. 

After  Boss  died  all  the  plans  were  changed.  Col. 
Hunting,  son-in-law  of  old  Master  Jack,  came  down 
to  the  salt  works  and  hired  us  all  out  there  for  another 
year.  This  was  the  beginning  of  the  year  1865.  Of 
master's  plans  concerning  the  island  and  his  proposed 
salt  works  the  family  knew  little,  for  they  questioned 
me  closeiy  as  to  what  he  told  me  of  the  matter.  What 
he  spent  on  the  island  in  lumber,  brick,  etc.,  was 
lost,  as  they  knew  nothing  of  the  particulars  of  the 


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REBELLION  WEAKENING.  165 

expenditure.     The  madam  remained  at    her   fathers, 
and  the  slaves  at  the  works. 

I    MAKE    SOME    MONEY. 

As  I  was  here  for  another  year,  acting-  as  butler, 
thought  I  would  try  and  see  if  I  could  not  make  some 
money  for  myself.  I  asked  Mr.  Brooks,  the  manager  of 
the  works,  if  he  could  get  me  some  tobacco  by  sending 
to  Mobile  for  it.  He  said  he  could;  and  on  the  fourth 
day  thereafter,  in  the  evening,  it  came.  I  was  anxious 
to  get  it  the  same  evening,  but  Mr.  Brooks  said: 
"Oh!  I  guess  you  had  better  wait  until  morning, 
then  when  you  finish  your  work  come  down  to  the 
office  and  get  it — you  will  then  have  more  time  to  see 
the  boys  in  the  works.1"  In  the  morning  I  was  up 
earl}T,  and  after  doing  my  morning  work  I  was  off  to 
Brooks'  office.  When  I  went, in  he  said:  "  There  it 
is  under  the  table.11  The  package  was  so  small  I  felt 
disappointed — a  hundred  dollars  worth  ought  to  be 
more,  said  I  to  myself;  but  I  took  it,  and  went  out 
among  the  men.  I  thought  I  would  try  to  sell  it  at 
five  dollars  a  plug,  and  if  I  could  not  sell  it  at  that  I 
would  take  four  dollars.  I  must  make  something,  for 
I  had  borrowed  the  money  to  buy  it  with;  and  I  saw 
that  to  clear  anything  on  it,  I  must  at  least  get  four 


166  THIRTY  YEARS  A  SLAVE. 

dollars  a  plug-.  The  money  which  I  had  borrowed 
was  from  three  fellow  servants,  who  had  been  fortunate 
in  earning-  some  little  time  and  had  saved  their 
mone}\  The  first  man  I  met  in  the  works  bought 
two  plugs,  at  five  dollars  each;  and  after  I  had  been 
there  about  an  hour  all  was  sold.  So  I  went  back 
with  a  light  heart.  Mr.  Brooks  said  to  me  at  dinner: 
"Well,  how  did  you  get  along  with  your  tobacco?  " 
"  I  did  very  well,"  I  said,  "  the  only  trouble  was  I  did 
not  have  enough.  Isold  it  for  $180."  "  Well,"  said 
he,  "  if  you  did,  }rou  made  more  clear  money  than  the 
works  here.  How  much  a  plug  did  you  sell  it  for?  " 
at  the  same  time  drawing  out  his  pencil  and  commenc- 
ing to  figure  it  up.  "  I  had  thirty-six  plugs,"  said  I, 
"  and  I  sold  them  for  five  dollars  a  plug."  Nothing 
more  was  said  just  then,  but  after  dinner  Brooks  and 
two  of  the  clerks  went  out  on  the  veranda  to  smoke. 
When  they  were  in  a  good  way  smoking,  Brooks 
slipped  into  the  dining  room,  and  said:  "Well,  that 
was  fine;  you  got  five  dollars  a  plug  for  the  tobacco?  " 
"Oh,  yes!"  I  said,  "tobacco  is  scarce,  and  they  were 
hungry  for  it;  it  went  like  hot  cakes — the  price  was 
not  questioned,  I  sold  at  once."  "  What  is  the  pros- 
pect for  selling  more?"  he  asked.     "  Will  you  sell  it 


REBELLION  WEAKENING.  167 

for  half  the  profit  if  I  furnish  the  tobacco?  "  I  said 
"yes."  So  he  sent  the  same  dajT  for  a  box  of  tobacco 
—about  five  hundred  plugs.  When  the  tobacco  came 
the  box  was  sawed  in  two  and  one-half  sent  up  to  my 
room.  I  put  some  fellows  out  as  agents  to  sell  for  me 
— Uncle  Hudson,  who  took  care  of  the  horses  and 
mules  at  the  works;  John  at  the  hospital;  William, 
head  chopper,  among-  the  100  men  in  the  woods.  Kach 
brought  in  from  $40.00  to  $50.00  ever)'  two  or  three 
days,  and  took  another  supply.  Sometimes,  when  I 
had  finished  my  work  in  the  afternoon,  I  would  get  an 
old  pony  and  go  around  through  the  neighborhood 
and  sell  four  or  five  plugs.  It  was  a  mystery  to  the 
servants  how  I  got  the  tobacco;  but  I  did  not  let  on 
that  Brooks  was  backing-  me.  In  two  weeks  we  had 
taken  in  SI, 600. 00,  and  I  was  happ}T  as  I  could  be. 
Brooks  was  a  fine  fellow — a  northerner  b}*  birth,  and 
did  just  what  he  said  he  would.  I  received  one-half 
of  the  money.  Of  course  this  was  all  rebel  money, 
but  I  was  sharp,  and  bought  up  all  the  silver  I  could 
find.  Just  as  we  got  on  the  other  half  of  the  box, 
Brooks  received  word  that  the  Yankees  were  coming, 
and  to  send  all  the  hands  to  their  masters.  I  was 
glad  that  I  had  made  some  money,   knowing  that  I 


168  THIRTY  YEARS  A  SEAVE. 

would  need  it  if  I  g-ained  my  freedom,  which  I  now 
knew  was  quite  probable,  as  the  Union  forces  were 
gaining-  ground  everywhere.  But  the  messag-e  ended 
my  money-making-,  and  I  prepared  to  g-o  home  to 
Panola. 

GOING   BACK    TO    PANOLA. 

Mr.  Brooks  fixed  the  return  papers  so  that  my  wife 
and  I  could  leave  the  party  of  slaves  at  Demopolis, 
and  g-o  on  thence  to  Panola  by  rail,  to  convey  the 
news  to  madam  that  all  hands  were  coming-  home; 
that  the  Yankees  were  expected  to  capture  the  salt 
works  within  a  short  time.  At  Jackson,  some  seven 
miles  from  the  salt  works,  we  were  delayed  over 
nig-ht  by  reason  of  lack  of  facilities  for  crossing-  the 
Tombig-bee  river.  The  report  that  the  Yankees  were 
coming-  throug-h  had  created  a  panic  among-  the  white 
people;  and  hundreds,  fleeing-  from  their  homes,  had 
g-athered  at  the  river,  waiting-  and  clamoring-  for  an 
opportunity  to  cross.  Thoug-h  slaves  were  property, 
and  valuable  on  that  account,  the  whites  seemed  to 
think  that  their  own  lives  were  in  dang-er,  and  to  be 
protected  first.  They  therefore  took  precedence  of  us. 
In  the  morning-  about  seven  o'clock  a  steamer  was 
seen  coming-  at  a   distance;  but  it   could  not  be  dis- 


REBELLION   WEAKENING.  169 

covered  at  once  just  what  the  character  of  it  was. 
The  whites  became  alarmed.  Some  said:  "The 
Yankees  are  coming-."  Other  said:  "It  is  a  gun 
boat — they  will  surely  fire  on  us."  But  as  the  boat 
drew  near  the  people  saw  that  there  was  nothing"  to 
fear — it  was  only  the  regular  passenger  boat.  Besides 
the  hundreds  of  people,  there  were  scores  of  wagons, 
filled  with  household  goods  to  go  over,  and  the  pas- 
sage was  slow  and  tedious  We  finally  got  across 
and  traveled  as  far  as  Demopolis,  where  Matilda  and 
I  left  the  other  slaves,  and  took  a  train  and  went  on 
to  Panola.  I  delivered  the  papers  to  the  madam  from 
Brooks,  which  told  her  all  the  particulars  concerning 
the  break  up  at  the  salt  works.  She  sent  wag-ons 
right  away  after  the  other  slaves  who  were  coming 
back  on  foot.  They  were  not  brought  back  to  Panola; 
but  were  hired  out  to  different  farmers  along  the  road 
home — some  in  Jackson,  some  in  Granda  and  others  in 
Panola  town.  These  were  all  small  towns  in  Mississ- 
ippi. My  wife  and  I  went  to  work  at  old  Master 
Jack's,  I  on  the  farm  and  my  wife  at  her  old  duties  in 
the  house.  We  longed  for  freedom,  but  were  content 
for  the  time  with  hoping  and  praying  for  the  coming 
of  the  day  when  it  should  be  realized.     It  was  sad  to 


170  THIRTY  YEARS  A  SLAVE. 

see  the  changes  that  had  come  to  the  white  folks. 
Sorrow  had  left  its  impress  upon  all  and  we  felt  it, 
notwithstanding-  all  that  we  had  suffered  at  their 
hands.  Boss  had  willed  the  homestead  in  Memphis 
to  Mrs  Farrington,  and  she  was  getting-  ready  to  take 
possession.  He  had  borrowed  a  great  amount  of 
money  from  her  when  he  bought  the  island  at  Mobile; 
and  the  rapid  coming  on  of  the  end  of  the  rebellion 
destroyed  all  prospect  of  the  success  of  his  salt  works 
scheme,  even  before  his  death,  and  really  rendered  him 
bankrupt.  Hence  the  transfer  of  the  Memphis 
property  to  her  was  the  only  way  he  could  make  good 
what  he  owed  her.  The  madam  now  had  no  home, 
but  was  compelled  to  stay  with  her  father,  old  Master 
Jack.  She  was  sadly  changed — did  not  appear  like  the 
same  person.  Her  troubles  and  sorrows  had  crushed 
her  former  cruel  and  haughty  spirit.  Her  mother  had 
died  a  few  months  before,  and  then  her  husband  had 
followed,  dying  suddenly  and  away  from  home.  Then 
much  of  her  property  had  been  lost,  and  social 
pleasures  and  distinction  were  gone  forever.  Who 
shall  say  that  the  wrongs  done  her  poor,  helpless 
slaves  were  not  avenged  in  this  life?  The  last  I  knew 
of  her  she  was  still  at  her  father's. 


REBELLION  WEAKENING.  171 

INCIDENTS. 

A  servant  who  belonged  to  Dr.  Dandridge  ran 
away  and  got  to  Memphis  just  affer  it  was  captured 
by  the  Union  soldiers.  He  was  put  into  the  army  and 
was  stationed  at  one  of  the  entrances  to  the  city.  He 
was  to  halt  all  persons  passing-  to  or  from  the  city,  no 
difference  who  they  were,  and  learn  their  names  and 
their  business.  Young-  William  McGee  and  his  sister, 
Miss  Cherry,  one  day  went  up  to  Memphis  and,  to 
their  surprise,  were  halted  by  this  former  servant  of 
their  uncle.  When  they  came  home  they  were  speak- 
ing of  it  to  their  father,  and  old  Master  Jack  said: 
"And  you  halted,  did  you?"  "Why,  yes,"  replied 
William,  "we  had  to  do  it."  "Well,"  said  the  old 
man,  "  I  would  have  died-died  before  I  would  have 
done  it.  To  think  that  a  servant  should  have  halted 
you,  and  one  who  has  belonged  to  the  family  like 
Anderson!"  This  old  man,  notwithstanding  all  his 
boasting  in  the  absence  of  immediate  danger,  was  the 
verriest  coward  when  danger  was  present;  and  if  he 
had  been  in  the  place  of  young  William,  he  would 
have  halted  with  the  greatest  alacrity. 

While  at  the  salt  works  I  had  a  little  experience  at 
nursinsr.     A  fellow  slave    was    taken    ill,    and  I  was 


172  THIRTY  YEARS  A  SLAVE. 

called  on  to  care  for  him  at  night.  I  always  liked  this 
work;  it  was  a  pleasure  to  me  to  be  in  the  sick  room. 
Typhoid  fever  was  a  new  case  to  me,  but  I  remembered 
what  instructions  Boss  had  given  me  about  it.  I 
"  pitched  in"  to  do  what  I  could;  but  the  fever  was  so 
great  he  lasted  only  a  few  days. 

MY    FIFTH    STRIKE    FOR    FREEDOM    IS    A    SUCCESS. 

We  had  remained  at  old  Jack's  until  June,  1865, 
and  had  tried  to  be  content.  The  Union  soldiers  were 
still  raiding  all  through  that  section.  Every  day 
some  town  would  be  taken,  and  the  slaves  would 
secretely  rejoice.  After  we  came  back  from  Ala- 
bama we  were  held  with  a  tighter  rein  than  ever. 
We  were  not  allowed  to  go  outside  of  the  premises. 
George  Washington,  a  fellow  servant,  and  Kitty,  his 
wife,  and  I  had  talked  considerably  about  the 
Yankees,  and  how  we  might  get  away,  We  knew  it 
was  our  right  to  be  free,  for  the  proclamation  had  long 
been  issued — yet  they  still  held  us.  I  did  not  talk 
much  to  nry  wife  about  going  away,  as  she  was 
always  so  afraid  I  would  be  killed,  and  did  not  want 
me  to  try  any  more  to  escape.  But  George,  his  wife 
and  I  continued  to  discuss  the  matter,  whenever  we 
had  a  chance.       We  knew  that  Memphis  was  head- 


REBELLION  WEAKENING.  173 

quarters  for  the  Union  troops,  but  how  to  reach  it  was 
the  great  question. 

It  was  Sunday,  and  I  had  driven  one  portion  of  the 
family  to  church,  and  George  the  other.  The  family 
was  now  very  large,  as  the  madam  and  her  famil}' 
were  there,  in  addition  to  Old  Master  Jack's,  and  all 
could  not  go  in  one  carriage.  On  the  way  back, 
young  William  McGee  came  up  through  the  farm,  on 
horseback,  a  nearer  wa}r  home  from  church,  and  en- 
countered several  servants  belonging  to  some  of  the 
neighbors.  He  asked  them  what  they  were  doing 
there,  and  if  they  had  passes.  To  this  last  question 
all  answered  no.  "Well,"  said  he,  "never  come 
here  again  without  having  passes,  all  of  you."  At 
this  the}'  all  quickly  disappeared.  When  Old  Jack 
came  home,  Will  told  him  what  had  passed;  and  he 
immediately  called  for  George  and  Uncle  Peter,  the 
foreman,  and  told  them  that  no  one  not  belonging 
there  was  to  come  into  the  quarters  without  a  pass; 
and  any  servant  with  a  pass  should  be  brought  to  the 
house,  that  the  pass  might  be  inspected.  They 
thought,  or  feared,  that  if  the  servants  were  permitted 
to  come  together  freely  they  might  plan  ways  of 
escape,    and    communicate    to    each    other  what  they 


174  THIRTY  YEARS  A  SLAVE. 

knew  about  the  war  and  the  Yankees.  George  came 
out,  and  finding-  me,  told  me  what  the}'  had  said. 
"  No  slave  from  outside  is  to  be  allowed  on  the  place," 
said  he.  I  replied:  "If  we  listen  to  them  we  shall  be 
here  until  Christmas  comes  again."  "  What  do  you 
mean?1'  asked  George.  "I  mean  that  now,  today,  is 
the  time  to  make  a  start."  So,  late  in  the  afternoon, 
during  the  servants'  prayer  meeting,  of  which  I  have 
heretofore  spoken,  we  thought  would  be  a  good  time 
to  get  away,  as  no  one  would  be  likely  to  see  us.  We 
talked  with  John  Smith,  another  servant,  and  told 
him  all  about  our  plan,  asking  him  not  to  say  a  word 
about  our  being  gone  until  he  was  through  feeding 
the  stock.  This  would  give  us  another  hour  to  ad- 
vance on  our  journey,  as  the  feeding  usually  took 
about  that  time — from  six  o'clock  until  seven.  Our 
fear  was  that  we  might  be  overtaken  by  the  blood- 
hounds; and,  therefore,  we  wished  to  get  as  far  away 
as  possible  before  the  white  people  knew  we  were 
gone.  It  was  Sunday  afternoon,  June  26th,  1865, 
when  George  and  I,  having  made  ready  for  the  start 
for  the  Union  lines,  went  to  bid  our  wives  good-bye. 
I  told  my  wife  to  cheer  up,  as  I  was  coming  again  to 
get    her.       I  said   to  Kitty,  George's  wife:     "We  are 


REBELLION  WEAKENING.  175 

going-,  but  look  for  us  again.  It  will  not  be  with  us 
as  with  so  many  others,  who  have  gone  away,  leaving 
their  families  and  never  returning  for  them.  We  will 
be  here  again."  She  looked  up  at  me,  smiling,  and 
with  a  look  of  resolution,  said:  "I'll  be  ready."  She 
was  of  a  firm,  daring  nature — I  did  not  fear  to  tell  her 
all  my  plans.  As  my  wife  was  so  timid,  I  said  as 
little  as  possible  to  her.  George  and  I  hurriedly  said 
our  farewells  to  our  wives.  The  parting  was  heart- 
rending, for  we  knew  the  dangers  were  great,  and  the 
chances  were  almost  even  that  we  should  not  meet 
again.  I  could  hardly  leave  my  wife,  her  agita- 
tion and  grief  were  so  great.  But  we  were  off  in 
a  few  moments.  We  crept  through  the  orchard,  pass- 
ing through  farm  after  farm  until  we  struck  the  rail- 
road, about  seven  miles  from  home.  We  followed  this 
road  until  we  reached  Senatobia,  about  half  past  seven 
in  the  evening.  We  felt  good,  and,  stopping  all  night, 
we  started  the  next  morning  for  Hernando,  Miss., 
another  small  town,  and  reached  there  at  two  o'clock 
in  the  afternoon.  The  most  of  the  bridges  had  been 
burned,  bj-  the  troops,  and  there  were  no  regular  rail- 
road trains.  Fortunately,  however,  flat  cars,  drawn 
by  horses  were  run  over  the  road;    and   on   a  train  of 


176  THIRTY  YEARS  A  SLAVE. 

this  kind  we  took  passage.  On  several  occasions,  the 
passengers  had  to  get  out,  and  push  the  car  over  a 
bridge,  as  it  was  not  made  so  horses  could  cross  on  it, 
the  horses  meantime  being  driven  or  led  through  the 
stream,  and  then  hitched  to  the  car  again.  After  we 
had  gone  through  this  process  repeatedl}-,  we  at  last 
reached  Memphis,  arriving  about  seven  o'clock  Mon- 
day evening.  The  city  was  filled  with  slaves,  from 
all  over  the  south,  who  cheered  and  gave  us  a  welcome. 
I  could  scarcely  recognize  Memphis,  things  were  so 
changed.  We  met  numbers  of  our  fellow  servants 
who  had  run  away  before  us,  when  the  war  began. 
Tuesday  and  Wednesday  we  spent  in  making  in- 
quiries; and  I  visited  our  old  home  at  McGee's  station. 
But  how  different  it  was  from  what  it  had  been  when 
the  McGees  were  there.  All  was  changed.  Thursday 
we  went  to  see  Col.  Walker,  a  Union  officer,  who 
looked  after  the  colored  folks,  and  saw  that  they  had 
their  rights.  When  we  reached  his  office  we  found  it 
so  filled  with  people,  waiting  to  see  him,  that  we  were 
delayed  about  two  hours,  before  we  had  an  oppor- 
tunity of  speaking  with  him.  When  our  turn  came, 
we  went  in,  and  told  him  that  we  were  citizens  of 
Memphis  until   the  fall  of  Fort  Pillow  and  Donelson, 


REBELLION  WEAKENING.  177 

when  our  master  had  run  us  off,  with  a  hundred  other 
slaves,  into  Mississippi,  and  thence  to  the  salt  works 
in  Alabama.  He  questioned  us  as  to  where  we  lived 
in  Memphis.  I  answered:  "What  is  now  head- 
quarters of  the  Union  forces  was  the  home  of  master, 
Mr.  Edmund  McGee,  who  is  now  dead."  After  a  few 
minutes,  I  said:  "Colonel,  we  want  protection  to  go 
back  to  Mississippi  after  our  wives,  who  are  still  held 
as  slaves. "  He  replied :  ' '  You  are  both  free  men  to  go 
and  come  as  you  please."  "  Why,"  said  I,  "  Colonel, 
if  we  go  back  to  Mississippi  they  will  shoot  the  giz- 
zards out  of  us."  "  Well,"  said  he,  "  I  can  not  grant 
your  request.  I  would  be  overrun  with  similar  appli- 
cations; but  I  will  tell  }7ou  what  you  can  do.  There 
are  hundreds  of  just  such  men  as  you  want,  who  would 
be  glad  of  such  a  scout."     We   thanked  him  and  left. 

GOING  BACK  FOR  OUR  WIVES. 

After  carefully  considering  the  matter,  we  con- 
cluded to  go  back  to  Senatobia  and  see  the  captain  of 
the  Union  troops  there.  The  next  day,  Friday,  we 
hired  a  two  horse  wagon,  and  made  preparations  to 
start  on  our  perilous  undertaking  Saturday  morning. 
It  was  our  hope  to  find  some  one  at  Senatobia  to  go 
with  us  to  Panola,    and  protect  us   in    the    effort  to 


178  THIRTY  YEARS  A  SLAVE. 

bring-  away  our  wives.  So,  early  in  the  morning-,  we 
set  out.  Our  first  stop  was  at  Big  Springs  camping 
ground,  where  we  made  preparations  for  refreshing 
ourselves  and  spending  the  night.  Just  as  we  had 
finished  building-  a  fire,  for  cooking  and  keeping  off 
the  mosquitoes,  two  soldiers  came  riding  up  to  the 
spring.  "Hello,"  said  one,  "which  way  are  you 
traveling?"  "We  are  just  from  Memphis,1'  said 
George.  "Have  you  any  whisky?"  asked  one  of 
them.  We  replied  "yes."  Will  you  give  a  fellow  a 
horn?  "  We  answered  the  question  by  handing  them 
the  bottle.  While  they  were  drinking,  George  and  I 
stepped  aside,  and,  after  a  few  moments  talk,  we  de- 
cided to  put  the  question  to  them  of  going  with  us  to 
get  our  wives.  I  asked:  "  Where  are  }^ou  from?" 
"Senatobia,"  replied  one.  We  at  once  laid  our  cause 
before  them,  telling  them  what  Col.  Walker  had  said 
regarding  our  getting  some  one  to  go  with  us  on  our 
enterprise.  They  listened  attentively,  and  when  we 
had  finished,  one  of  them  asked:  "How  much 
whisky  have  you?"  George  answered:  "Two  bot- 
tles." "  What  do  you  intend  to  do  when  you  see  the 
captain  at  Senatobia?  "  "La)'  our  complaint  before 
him,"    said   I.       "Now  my    friend,"  said   one  of  the 


REBELLION  WEAKENING.  179 

soldiers,  "I  am  afraid  if  you  go  to  the  captain  you 
will  be  defeated.  But  I'll  tell  you  what  I'll  do.  Give 
my  comrade  and  me  one  of  your  bottles  of  whisky, 
and  we  will  put  you  on  a  straight  track.  The  reason 
why  I  say  this  is  that  our  captain  has  been  sweetened 
by  the  rebel  farmers.  He  is  invited  out  to  tea  by  them 
every  evening-.  I  know  he  will  put  you  off.  But  I 
will  write  a  note  to  some  comrades  of  mine  who,  I 
know,  will  bring-  you  out  safe."  We  agreed  at  once 
to  this  proposition,  and  gave  them  the  whisky.  He 
wrote  the  note,  and  gave  it  to  us,  telling  us  to  go  to 
the  last  tent  on  the  line  in  the  camp,  where  we  would 
find  two  boys  to  whom  we  should  give  it.  "They 
are  brave,"  said  he,  "  and  the  only  two  I  know  of  that 
can  help  you.  If  the}7  are  not  there  don't  give  the 
note  to  any  one  else,  but  wait  till  they  come  back,  on 
Tuesday  night.  I  feel  satisfied  that  they  will  go  and 
help  3'ou  out."  With  these  words,  they  rode  off. 
George  and  I  felt  good  over  our  prospects. 

A     HAZARDOUS    TRIP. 

The  next  morning  was  Sunday,  and  we  started  on, 
reaching  Senatobia  about  eleven  o'clock.  We  went 
into  the  camp,  following  the  directions  given  us,  to 
go  to  the  last  tent  in  the  line;  but,  when  we  reached 


180  THIRTY  YEARS  A  SLAVE. 

there,  the  soldiers  were  out.  We  lingered  around  the 
grounds  a  short  time,  then  went  back,  and  found  them 
there.  We  gave  them  the  note;  and,  after  reading-  it, 
they  simply  asked  us  where  we  had  stopped  our 
wagon.  I  told  them  outside  the  village.  "  Go  there," 
said  one  of  them,  "  and  remain  until  we  come  out  to 
see  you."  Shorth'  they  came  out;  and,  after  we  had 
told  them  what  we  wanted,  the  distance  to  McGee's, 
which  was  about  nineteen  miles  from  Senatobia,  and 
had  given  them  such  other  information  as  they  de- 
sired, they  concluded  that  the}^  would  go.  "  We 
want  to  be  back,"  said  I,  "before  da}dight  Monday 
morning,  because  we  must  not  be  seen  on  the  road  ; 
for  we  are  well  known  in  that  section,  and,  if  dis- 
covered, would  be  captured  and  killed."  "Well," 
said  one  of  the  soldiers,  "  we  will  have  to  go  back  to 
camp,  and  arrange  to  be  excused  from  roll  call  this 
evening,  before  we  can  make  the  trip."  The}-  went 
back  to  camp;  and,  in  about  ten  minutes  they  came  out 
again  saying:  "  All  is  right;  we  will  go."  We  gave 
them  each  ten  dollars;  and  promised,  if  thev  brought 
us  out  safely,  to  give  each  ten  dollars  more.  It  was 
now  about  half-past  eleven  o'clock.  They  had  to  go 
to  camp,  and  slip  their  horses  out  cautiously,  so  as  not 


REBELLION  WEAKENING.  181 

to  be  seen  b}r  the  captain.  Iu  half  an  hour  we  were 
on  our  way;  and,  after  we  had  ridden  some  two 
miles,  we  were  overtaken  by  the  two  soldiers.  It  was 
Sunda3r  afternoon;  and  our  having-  a  wagon  attracted 
much  attention  from  the  farmers  as  we  passed  along. 
They  looked  at  us  so  sharply  that  George  and  I  felt 
decidedly  uneasy;  yet  we  kept  up  courage  and  pressed 
steadily  on.  After  a  long  and  weary  ride  we  reached 
old  Master  Jack's  a  little  after  sundown.  The  soldiers 
rode  into  the  yard  ahead  of  us,  and  the  first  person 
they  met  was  a  servant  (Frank)  at  the  woodpile. 
They  said  to  him:  "  Go  in  and  tell  your  master,  Mr. 
McGee,  to  come  out,  we  want  to  see  him,"  at  the  same 
time  asking  for  Louis'  and  George's  wives.  Young 
William  McGee  came  out  and  the  soldiers  said  to  him: 
"  We  want  feed  for  seventy-five  head  of  horses." 
McGee  said:  "  We  have  not  got  it."  Just  then 
George  and  I  were  coming  up.  We  drove  in  at  the 
gate,  through  the  grove,  and  passed  the  woodpile 
where  McGee  and  the  soldiers  were  talking.  McGee 
had  just  replied:  "We  have  not  got  that  much  feed 
to  spare — we  are  almost  out."  "Well,"  said  the 
soldiers,  "we  must  have  it,"  and  they  followed  on 
right    after   the    wagons.       As  we  drove  past  them, 


182  THIRTY  YEARS  A  SLAVE. 

young-  McGee  went  running-  into  the  house,  saying  to 
his  mother:  "  It  is  Louis  and  George,  and  I'll  kill 
one  of  them  to-night."  This  raised  quite  an  alarm, 
and  the  members  of  the  family  told  him  not  to  do 
that,  as  it  would  ruin  them.  As  soon  as  George  and 
I  drove  up  to  the  first  cabin,  which  was  my  wife's  and 
Kitt}T's,  we  ran  in.  Kitty  met  us  at  the  door  and 
said:  "I  am  all  ready."  She  was  looking  for  us. 
We  commenced  loading  our  wagon  with  our  few 
thing's.  Meanwhile  the  soldiers  had  ridden  around  a 
few  rods  and  came  upon  old  Master  Jack  and  the 
minister  of  the  parish,  who  were  watching  as  guards 
to  keep  the  slaves  from  running  away  to  the  Yankees. 
Just  think  of  the  outrage  upon  those  poor  creatures 
in  forcibly  retaining  them  in  slavery  long  after  the 
proclamation  making  them  free  had  gone  into  effect 
beyond  all  question!  As  the  soldiers  rode  up  to  the 
two  men  they  said:  "Hello!  what  are  you  doing 
here?  Win*  have  you  not  told  these  two  men,  Louis 
and  George,  that  they  are  free  men — that  they  can  go 
and  come  as  they  like?  "  By  this  time  all  the  family 
were  aroused,  and  great  excitement  prevailed.  The 
soldier's  presence  drew  all  the  servants  near.  George 
and  I  hurried  to  fill  up  our  wagon,  telling  our  wives 


REBELLION  WEAKENING.  183 

to  get  in,  as  there  was  no  time  to  lose — we  must  go  at 
once.  In  twenty  minutes  we  were  all  loaded.  My 
wife,  Aunt  Kitty  and  nine  other  servants  followed  the 
wag-on.  I  waited  for  a  few  moments  for  Mary  Ellen, 
sister  of  my  wife;  and  as  she  came  running-  out  of  the 
white  folks'  house,  she  said  to  her  mistress,  Mrs.  Far- 
rington:  "Good-bye;  I  wish  you  good  luck."  "I 
wish  you  all  the  bad  luck,"  said  she  in  a  rage.  But 
Mary  did  not  stop  to  notice  her  mistress  further;  andi 
joining  me,  we  were  soon  on  the  road  following  the 
wagon. 

TWO    BKAVE    MEN. 

Those  soldiers  were  brave  indeed.  Think  of  the 
courage  and  daring  involved  in  this  scheme — only  two 
soldiers  going  into  a  country  of  which  they  knew 
nothing  except  that  every  white  man  living  in  it  was 
their  enemy.  The  demand  which  they  made  for  food 
for  seventy-five  horses  was  a  clever  ruse,  invented  by 
them  to  alarm  the  McGees,  and  make  them  think 
that  there  was  a  troop  of  horses  near  by,  and  that  it 
would  not  be  safe  for  them  to  offer  any  resistance  to 
our  going  away  with  our  wives.  Had  they  thought 
that  there  were  but  two  soldiers,  it  is  certain  that 
they   would   have  endeavored   to   prevent   us  getting 


184  THIRTY  YEARS  A  SLAVE. 

away  again,  and  one  or  more  of  us  would  undoubtedly 
have  been  killed. 

As  already  stated,  nine  other  slaves  followed  our 
wag-on,  as  it  moved  off.  They  had  no  hats  on;  some 
were  bare-footed,  —  they  had  not  stopped  to  get  any- 
thing-; but,  as  soon  as  they  saw  a  chance  to  get  away, 
they  went  just  as  they  were  at  the  moment.  Aunt 
Kitty  was  brave  and  forethoughtful,  for  during  the 
week  we  were  gone  she  had  baked  and  cooked  a  large 
amount  of  substantial  food  that  would  keep  us  from 
starving  while  on  our  journey. 

At  the  first  road  crossing,  the  two  soldiers  thought 
they  saw  a  large  troop  of  soldiers  in  the  distance,  and 
they  galloped  ahead  of  us  at  full  speed;  but,  on 
arriving  at  the  spot,  they  found  that  what  they 
had  thought  soldiers  were  only  a  herd  of  cattle. 
They  rode  on  to  the  next  crossing,  we  following  as 
we  conveniently  could.  Each  poor  slave  was  bus}* 
with  his  thoughts  and  his  prayers.  Now  and  then 
one  would  hear  a  moan  or  a  word  from  some  of  the 
party.  All  were  scared,  even  though  the  soldiers 
were  with  us.  We  came  to  the  next  cross  road,  and 
passed  that  safely.  Our  fear  was  that  the  McGees 
might  get  the  neighborhood  to  join  them   and  pursue 


REBELLION  WEAKENING.  185 

us,  or  send  the  home  guards  after  us;  but  Providence 
was  seemingly  smiling"  upon  us  at  last,  for  no  one 
followed  or  molested  us.  We  moved  on  all  night, 
until  we  came  to  a  creek,  at  four  o'clock  in  the  morn- 
ing of  Monday.  The  banks  of  the  creek  were  very 
steep,  and  as  the  horses  and  wagon  went  down  into 
the  stream,  the  mattress  on  top  of  the  wagon,  upon 
which  my  wife  and  her  sister's  children  were  sitting, 
was  thrown  off  into  the  water.  Immediately  the  horses 
stopped,  and  became  balky.  It  was  such  a  warm 
night  that  they  did  not  want  to  move  on  out  of  the 
water,  and  would  not  start,  either,  until  they  got 
ready.  As  soon  as  the  soldiers  saw  the  mattress  slide 
off  with  my  wife  and  the  children,  one  of  them  plung- 
ed into  the  water  with  his  horse,  and,  in  a  minute, 
brought  them  all  out.  All  had  a  good  ducking  ■ — 
indeed  it  seemed  like  a  baptism  by  immersion.  The 
drenched  ones  were  wrapped  in  old  blankets;  and, 
after  an  hour's  delay,  we  were  again  on  our  way. 
The  soldiers  said:  "Now  we  must  leave  you;  the  time 
is  coming  when  we  must  be  in  camp  for  roll  call.  If 
you  are  not  at  our  camp  when  roll  call  is  over,  we  will 
come  back  and  see  about  )Tou."  We  gave  them  each 
the  second  ten  dollars,    as  agreed  upon,    and  just  as 


186  THIRTY  YEARS  A  SLAVE. 

they  rode  to  the  top  of  the  hill  they  left  us.  We  had 
a  clear  sweep  from  this  point,  and  we  came  into  Sena- 
tobia  about  nine  o'clock  in  the  forenoon.  Our  two 
soldier  friends,  who  had  brought  us  out  so  safely, 
came  out  of  camp  to  see  us.  They  cheered  us,  and 
seemed  glad  that  they  had  rendered  us  service.  We 
stopped  at  the  camp  until  we  had  dried  our  clothes 
and  had  some  breakfast;  and,  then,  we  made  our  way 
to  Memphis. 

OUT   OF    BONDAGE    AT    LAST. 

My  wife  and  her  sister  were  shoeless,  and  the 
latter  had  no  hat  on — she  had  hurried  out  of  the  house 
in  such  excitement  that  she  thought  of  nothing-  but 
getting-  away.  Having  to  walk  some  of  the  way,  as 
all  could  not  ride  in  the  wagon  at  the  same  time,  we 
were  all  tired,  dirty  and  rest-broken,  and,  on  the 
whole,  a  pitiful  crowd  to  look  at,  as  we  came  into  the 
city.  One  venerable  old  man,  bent  with  age,  whose 
ebony  face  shone  with  delight,  came  running  out  into 
the  road  as  we  appeared,  exclaiming:  "  Oh!  here  dey 
come,  God  bless 'em!  Poor  chil'en!  they  come  fannin." 
We  used  large  palm  leaves  to  fan  ourselves  with,  as 
we  were  so  warm.  Those  nine  souls  that  followed  us 
walked  the  whole  distance,    arriving  shortly  after  we 


REBELLION  WEAKENING.  187 

did.  Thousands  of  others,  in  search  of  the  freedom 
of  which  they  had  so  long-  dreamed,  flocked  into  the 
city  of  refuge,  some  having-  walked  hundreds  of 
miles. 

It  was  appropriately  the  4th  of  July  when  we 
arrived;  and,  aside  from  the  citizens  of  Memphis, 
hundreds  of  colored  refugees  thronged  the  streets. 
Everywhere  you  looked  you  could  see  soldiers.  Such 
a  day  I  don't  believe  Memphis  will  ever  see  again  — 
when  so  large  and  so  motley  a  crowd  will  come  to- 
gether. Our  two  soldier  rescuers  looked  us  up  after 
we  were  in  Memphis,  and  seemed  truly  glad  that  we 
had  attained  our  freedom,  and  that  they  had  been  in- 
strumental in  it.  Only  one  thing  we  regret,  and  that 
is  that  we  did  not  learn  their  names;  but  we  were  in 
so  much  trouble,  and  so  absorbed  in  the  business 
which  we  had  in  hand — so  excited  by  the  perils  of  our 
undertaking,  that  we  never  thought  to  ask  them  their 
names,  or  to  what  regiment  they  belonged.  Then, 
after  we  got  to  Memphis,  though  we  were  most  grate- 
ful for  the  service  which  they  had  rendered  us,  we 
were  still  so  excited  bj-  our  new  condition  and  sur- 
roundings that  we  thought  of  little  else,  and  forgot 
that  we  had  no  means  of  establishing,  at  a  later  time, 


188  THIRTY  YEARS  A  SLAVE. 

the  identity  of  those  to  whom  we  owed  so  much. 
Freedom,  that  we  had  so  long-  looked  for,  had  come  at 
last;  and  we  gave  praise  to  God,  blessing  the  day 
when  we  met  those  two  heroes.  It  is  true  that  we 
should  have  been  free,  sooner  or  later;  still,  but  for 
their  assistance,  my  wife  and  I  might  never  have  met 
again.  If  I  could  not  have  gone  back,  which  I  could 
never  have  done  alone,  until  long  after,  such  changes 
might  have  occured  as  would  have  separated  us  for 
years,  if  not  forever.  Thousands  were  separated  in 
this  manner — men  escaping  to  the  Union  lines,  hoping 
to  make  a  way  to  return  for  their  families;  but,  fail- 
ing in  this,  and  not  daring  to  return  alone,  never  saw 
their  wives  or  children  more.  Thanks  to  God,  we 
were  guided  to  these  brave  soldiers,  and  so  escaped 
from  so  cruel  a  fate. 

A    WORD    FOR    MY    OLD    MASTER. 

In  closing  this  account  of  my  years  of  bondage,  it 
is,  perhaps,  but  justice  to  say  of  my  old  master  that 
he  was  in  some  respects  kinder  and  more  humane  than 
many  other  slaveholders.  He  fed  well,  and  all  had 
enough  to  wear,  such  as  it  was.  It  is  true  that  the 
material  was  coarse,  but  it  was  suited  to  the  season, 
and,  therefore,  comfortable,  which  could  not  truthfully 


REBELLION  WEAKENING.  189 

be  said  of  the  clothing-  of  the  slaves  of  other  planters. 
Not  a  few  of  these  did  not  have  sufficient  clothes  to 
keep  them  warm  in  winter;  nor  did  they  have  sufficient 
nourishing-  and  wholesome  food.  But  while  my  master 
showed  these  virtues,  similar  to  those  which  a  provi- 
dent farmer  would  show  in  the  care  of  his  dumb 
brutes,  he  lacked  in  that  humane  feeling  which  should 
have  kept  him  from  buying  and  selling  human  beings 
and  parting  kindred — which  should  have  made  it  im- 
possible for  him  to  have  permitted  the  lashing,  beat- 
ing and  lacerating  of  his  slaves,  much  more  the  hir- 
ing of  an  irresponsible  brute,  by  the  year,  to  perform 
this  barbarous  service  for  him.  The  McGees  were 
charitable  —  as  they  interpreted  the  word  —  were 
always  ready  to  contribute  to  educational  and  mis- 
sionary funds,  while  denying,  under  the  severest 
penalties,  all  education  to  those  most  needing  it,  and 
all  true  missionary  effort — the  spiritual  enlightenment 
for  which  they  were  famishing.  Then  our  masters 
lacked  that  fervent  charity,  the  love  of  Christ  in  the 
heart,  which  if  they  had  possessed  they  could  not 
have  treated  us  as  they  did.  They  would  have  remem- 
bered the  golden  rule:  "  Do  unto  others  as  ye  would 
that    men    should    do    to    you."     Possessing  absolute 


190  THIRTY  YEARS  A  SLAVE- 

power  over  the  bodies  and  souls  of  their  slaves,  and 
grown  rich  from  their  unrequited  toil,  they  became 
possessed  by  the  demon  of  avarice  and  pride,  and  lost 
sight  of  the  most  vital  of  the  Christly  qualities. 


CHAPTER  V. 
FREEDOM  AFTER  SLAVERY. 

COMING   NORTH. 

As  before  stated,  we  arrived  in  Memphis  on  the 
Fourth  of  July,  1865.  My  first  effort  as  a  freeman 
was  to  get  something-  to  do  to  sustain  myself  and 
wife  and  a  babe  of  a  few  months,  that  was  born  at 
the  salt  works.  I  succeeded  in  getting"  a  room  for  us, 
and  went  to  work  the  second  day  driving  a  public  car- 
riage. I  made  enough  to  keep  us  and  pay  our  room 
rent.  By  our  economy  we  managed  to  get  on  very 
well.  I  worked  on,  hoping  to  go  further  north,  feel- 
ing somehow  that  it  would  be  better  for  us  there; 
when,  one  6.3.J  I  ran  across  a  man  who  knew  my  wife's 
mother.  He  said  to  me:  "  Why,  your  wife's  mother 
went  back  up  the  river  to  Cincinnati.  I  knew  her  well 
and  the  people  to  whom  she  belonged."  This  in- 
formation made  us  eager  to  take  steps  to  find  her. 
My  wife  was  naturally  anxious  to  follow  the  clue 
thus  obtained,  in  hopes  of  finding  her  mother,  whom 
she   had   not   seen  since  the   separation  at  Memphis 


192  THIRTY  YEARS  A  SLAVE. 

years  before.  We,  therefore,  concluded  to  go  as  far 
as  Cincinnati,  at  any  rate,  and  endeavor  to  get  some 
further  information  of  mother.  My  wife  seemed  to 
gather  new  strength  in  learning  this  news  of  her 
mother,  meager  though  it  was.  After  a  stay  in 
Memphis  of  six  weeks  we  went  on  to  Cincinnati, 
hopeful  of  meeting  some,  at  least,  of  the  family  that, 
though  free,  in  defiance  of  justice,  had  been  consigned 
to  cruel  and  hopeless  bondage — bondage  in  violation 
of  civil  as  well  as  moral  law.  We  felt  it  was  almost 
impossible  that  we  should  see  any  one  that  we  ever 
knew;  but  the  man  had  spoken  so  earnestly  and  pos- 
itively regarding  my  mother-in-law  that  we  were  not 
without  hope.  On  arriving  at  Cincinnati,  our  first  in- 
quiry was  about  her,  my  wife  giving  her  name  and 
description;  and,  fortunately,  we  came  upon  a  colored 
man  who  said  he  knew  of  a  woman  answering  to  the 
name  and  description  which  my  wife  gave  of  her 
mother,  and  he  directed  us  to  the  house  where  she  was 
stopping.  When  we  reached  the  place  to  which  we 
had  been  directed,  my  wife  not  only  found  her  mother 
but  one  of  her  sisters.  The  meeting  was  a  joyful  one 
to  us  all.  No  mortal  who  has  not  experienced  it  can 
imagine   the   feeling  of  those  who  meet   again  after 


FREEDOM  AFTER  SLAVERY.         193 

long-  years  of  enforced  separation  and  hardship  and 
utter  ignorance  of  one  another's  condition  and  place 
of  habitation.  I  questioned  them  as  to  when  and 
where  they  had  met,  and  how  it  happened  that  they 
were  now  together.  My  mother-in-law  then  began 
the  following  narrative: 

"  When  I  was  sold  from  the  Memphis  trader's  yard 
I  was  bought  by  a  man  who  lived  not  far  from  Mem- 
phis. I  never  heard  of  any  of  the  children,  and  knew 
nothing  as  to  what  had  become  of  them.  After  the 
capture  of  Memphis  by  the  Union  army,  the  people  to 
whom  I  belonged  fled  from  their  home,  leaving  their 
slaves;  and  the  other  slaveholders  of  the  neighbor- 
hood did  the  same.  The  slaves,  left  to  themselves,  at 
once  departed  for  Memphis,  and  I  among  the  number. 
When  I  had  been  there  but  a  short  time  a  call  was 
made  for  nurses  to  go  into  the  hospital;  and,  after 
thinking  of  it  for  a  few  minutes,  I  concluded  to 
answer  the  call,  and  was  speedily  installed  in  the 
work.  When  I  had  been  there  a  short  time  I  found, 
to  my  great  surprise  and  delight,  my  eldest  daughter 
was  also  employed  there.  She  had  come  to  Memphis 
as  I  had,  because  her  master's  family  had  fled;  and, 
hearing  the  call  for  nurses,  had  entered  the  service  at 


194  THIRTY  YEARS  A  SLAVE. 

once.  I  can  not  tell  my  pleasure  in  meeting-  one  of 
my  children,  for  I  had  never  expected  to  see  any  of 
them  again.  We  continued  our  work  in  the  hospital 
until  Generals  Sheridan  and  Grant  said  the  city  was 
getting  too  crowded  with  colored  people — there  was 
not  room  for  them;  some  must  be  removed.  So,  large 
numbers  of  them  were  sent  to  Cincinnati,  and  my 
daughter  and  I  were  among. ithem.  This  is  why  you 
see  us  here  together." 

When  she  had  finished  telling  this  story  my  wife 
and  I  were  shedding  tears  of  J03-.  My  sister-in-law, 
Mary  KHen,  whom  Boss  bought  at  the  same  time  that 
he  bought  my  wife,  was  with  us;  thus  the  mother  and 
three  daughters  had  met  again  most  unexpectedly, 
and  in  a  way  almost  miraculous.  This  meeting  again 
of  mother  and  daughters,  after  years  of  separation 
and  many  vicisitudes,  was  an  occasion  of  the  pro- 
foundest  joy,  although  all  were  almost  wholly  desti- 
tute of  the  necessaries  of  life.  This  first  evening  we 
spent  together  can  never  be  forgotten.  I  can  see  the 
old  woman  now,  with  bowed  form  and  gray  locks,  as 
she  gave  thanks  in  joyful  tones  }Tet  reverent  manner, 
for  such  a  wonderful  blessing-. 


FREEDOM  AFTER  SLAVERY.  195 

IN    CANADA. 

We  did  not  remain  long-  in  Cincinnati,  as  houses 
were  so  scarce  we  could  not  get  a  place  to  stop  in. 
My  wife's  mother  had  but  one  room,  and  we  could  not 
stay  there.  We  went  on  to  Hamilton,  but  stayed 
there  only  two  months.  I  worked  at  whatever  I  could 
get  to  do  —  whitewashing  and  odd  jobs  of  any  kind. 
The  women  managed  to  get  washing  to  do,  so  that 
we  got  on  very  well.  Our  aim  was  when  we  left 
Memphis  to  get  to  Canada,  as  we  regaided  that  as  the 
safest  place  for  refugees  from  slavery.  We  did  not 
know  what  might  come  again  for  our  injury.  So, 
now,  as  we  had  found  some  of  my  wife's  people,  we 
were  more  eager  to  go;  and,  as  I  could  not  get  any 
steady  work  in  Hamilton,  we  made  ready  to  move  on. 
We  went  straight  to  Detroit,  and  crossed  over  the 
river  to  Windsor,  Canada,  arriving  there  on  Christmas 
1865.  I  succeeded  in  getting  work  as  a  porter  at  the 
Iron  House,  a  hotel  situated  near  the  landing.  Here 
my  wife  also  was  employed,  and  here  we  remained 
until  spring;  when,  as  the  wages  were  so  small  in 
Windsor,  I  went  over  to  Detroit  to  seek  for  more 
profitable  employment.  After  some  effort,  I  succeeded 
in  securing  a  situation,  as  waiter,  in  the  Biddle  House, 


196  THIRTY  YEARS  A  SLAVE. 

and  remained  there  two  years,  when  the  manager 
died,  and  it  changed  hands;  and,  much  as  I  disliked 
to  make  a  change  in  my  work,  I  found  it  necessary. 
An  opportunity  soon  offered  of  a  position  as  sailor  on 
the  steamer  Saginaw,  which  ran  from  Green  Bay  to 
Kscanaba,  in  connection  with  the  railroad. 

A    CLEW   TO    MY    BROTHER    WILUAM. 

While  I  was  on  this  boat,  one  of  the  men  who 
worked  with  me  said  to  me,  one  day:  "Have  you  a 
brother,  Hughes?"  I  said,  "Yes,  but  I  don't  know 
anything  about  him.  We  were  sold  from  each  other 
when  boys,  "  Well,"  said  he,  "  I  used  to  sail  with  a 
man  whose  name  was  Billy  Hughes,  and  he  looked 
just  like  }rou."  I  told  him  there  were  three  boys  of  us; 
that  we  were  sold  to  different  parties,  and  that  I  had 
never  seen  either  of  my  brothers  since.  One  brother 
was  named  William,  but  went  by  the  nickname  of 
Billy.  "Has  this  man  had  his  forefinger  cut  off," 
asked  I.  "  Oh!  "  replied  he,  "  I  don't  know,  Hughes, 
about  that."  "  Well,"  said  I,  "  this  is  all  I  remember 
about  Billy.  I  accidentally  chopped  off  his  forefinger 
one  day,  when  we  were  small  boys  in  Virginia.  This 
is  the  only  thing  by  which  I  could  identify  nry  brother 
William."     Nothing  more  was  said  upon  the  matter, 


FREEDOM  AFTER  SLAVERY.         197 

and  it  dropped  out  of  my  mind.  I  did  not  realize  how 
important  were  the  words  of  this  man.  It  never 
occured  to  me  that  he  held  the  clew  that  might  bring 
us  together  again. 

WORK    IN    CHICAGO. 

When  the  sailing  season  had  ended,  the  steamer 
tied  up  at  Chicago  for  the  winter.  Upon  going 
ashore,  I  at  once  tried  to  get  something  else  to  do,  for 
I  could  not  afford  to  be  idle  a  da}\  One  of  the  first 
men  I  met  in  Chicago  was  my  old  friend  and  fellow- 
servant  Thomas  Bland.  He  was  glad  to  see  me,  and 
told  me  all  about  his  escape  to  Canada,  and  how  he 
had  met  Will  McGee,  at  Niagara  Falls.  He  was 
working  at  the  Sherman  House,  having  charge  of  the 
coat  room.  I  told  him  that  I  had  been  sailing  during 
the  summer,  but  that  the  boat  was  now  laid  up,  and 
that  I  was  anxious  for  another  job.  He  said  he  would 
try  and  see  what  he  could  do  for  me.  He  went  to  the 
proprietor  of  the  hotel,  Mr.  Rice;  and,  to  my  surprise 
and  delight,  he  was  so  fortunate  as  to  secure  me  a 
position  as  porter  and  general  utility  man.  My 
family  were  still  at  Windsor,  Canada;  and,  when  I 
had  secured  this  place,  I  got  leave  of  absence  to  make 
them  a  visit,  and  went  there  at  once.    Two  babies  had 


198  THIRTY  YEARS  A  SLAVE. 

been  born  only  a  day  before  my  arrival.  I  had  hoped 
to  be  there  on  the  interesting-  occasion,  but  was  too 
late.  However,  I  was  pleased  to  find  two  bright  little 
girls  to  aid  in  the  family  greeting,  which  was  delight- 
ful after  the  months  of  separation.  My  wife,  her 
sister  Mary  and  her  two  children,  her  mother  and  the 
sister  we  found  at  Cincinnati  were  all  still  here  living 
together. 

ATTENDING    NIGHT   SCHOOL. 

After  a  visit  of  two  weeks  with  my  family,  I 
returned  to  Chicago,  and  began  my  work  at  the 
Sherman  House.  I  was  full  of  energy  and  hope,  and 
resolved  to  put  forth  every  effort  to  make  a  man  of 
myself,  and  to  earn  an  honest  living.  I  saw  that  I 
needed  education,  and  it  was  one  of  the  bitterest  re- 
membrances of  my  servitude  that  I  had  been  cheated 
out  of  this  inalienable  right  —  this  immeasurable 
blessing.  I,  therefore,  determined  to  do  what  was  in 
my  power  to  gain  something  of  that  of  which  I  had 
been  cruelly  defrauded.  Hence  I  entered  the  night- 
school  for  freedmen,  which  had  been  established  in 
the  city,  and  faithfully  attended  its  sessions  during 
the  months  it  was  kept  open. 


FREEDOM    AFTER  SLAVERY.  199 

I   SETTLE    IN    MILWAUKEE. 

I  worked  at  the  Sherman  House  until  August  1868, 
and,  during-  this  time,  saw  many  travelers  and  busi- 
ness men,  and  made  some  lasting-  friends  among  them. 
Among  these  was  Mr.  Plankinton.  He  seemed  to  take 
a  fancy  to  me,  and  offered  me  a  situation  in  the 
Plankinton  House,  soon  to  be  opened  in  Milwaukee.  I 
readily  accepted  it  for  I  was  not  getting  a  large 
salary,  and  the  position  which  he  offered  promised 
more.  The  Plankinton  House  was  opened  in  Septem- 
ber, and  I  was  placed  in  full  charge  of  the  coat  room; 
and,  after  I  had  been  there  some  time,  I  had,  in 
connection  with  m}^  coat  room  duties,  charge  of  the 
bell  stand.  My  wife  had  charge  of  the  waiter's  rooms, 
a  lodging  house  situated  on  Second  street,  one  door 
from  Grand  Avenue.  This  was  a  brick  building  that 
stood  where  the  west  portion  of  the  Plankinton  now 
stands.  The  second  floor  was  used  as  our  living 
rooms;  the  third  and  fourth  floors  constituted  the 
sleeping  apartments  of  the  hotel  waiters.  My  wife 
looked  after  these  apartments,  saw  that  they  were 
clean,  and  had  a  general  supervision  of  them. 

BEGIN  BUSINESS  FOR  MYSELF  IN  A  SMALL  WAY. 

After  the  hotel  had  been  running-  a  little  over  a 


200  THIRTY  YEARS  A  SLAVE. 

year,  I  saw  there  was  a  chance  for  me  to  make  some- 
thing" at  laundry  work.  I  was  allowed  to  take  wash- 
ing- from  any  of  the  guests  who  desired  their  work 
done  privately.  In  this  way  I  worked  up  quite  a 
business.  I  still  continued  my  coat  room  duties,  as 
my  wife  managed  the  laundry  work.  Our  laundry 
business  increased  so  rapidly  I  deemed  it  best  to 
change  our  quarters  from  Second  street  to  216  Grand 
avenue,  which  seemed  better  suited  for  our  purpose. 
Here  the  business  continued  to  grow  until  it  reached 
proportions  of  which  we  had  little  idea  when  we  be- 
gan it. 

MEETING    RELATIVES    OF    MY    OLD    MASTER. 

One  day  while  I  was  at  the  Plankinton  I  happened 
to  be  coming  through  the  hall,  when  whom  should  I 
meet  but  Col.  Hunting,  son-in-law  of  old  Master  Jack 
McGee,  of  Mississippi.  We  came  face  to  face,  and  I 
knew  him  at  once,  but  he  only  partially  recognized 
me.  He  said:  "  I  know  your  face,  but  can  not  recall 
your  name."  I  said:  "Don't  3-ou  know  Louis  Mc- 
Gee?" He  then  remembered  me  at  once.  '"Why," 
said  he,  "  my  wife,  my  brother  and  all  his  family  are 
here.  There  is  a  party  of  us  on  a  pleasure  trip 
through   the  north."     I  soon  learned  that  they  had 


FREEDOM  AFTER  SLAVERY.         201 

visited  at  Waukesha  springs,  and  had  been  at  the 
hotel  only  a  few  hours,  waiting-  for  the  boat  for  Grand 
Haven.  I  hastened  to  bring-  my  wife  to  see  them  and 
got  back  with  her  just  in  time.  They  were  already  in 
the  'bus,  but  waited  for  us.  We  very  cordially  shook 
hands  with  them.  They  asked  me  why  I  had  come  so 
far  north,  and  I  replied  that  we  kept  traveling  until 
we  found  a  place  where  we  could  make  a  good  living. 
They  wished  us  success  and  the  'bus  rolled  away. 

FINDING    MY    BROTHER    WIJLUAM. 

While  I  was  at  the  Plankinton  House  many  of  the 
traveling  men  seemingly  liked  to  talk  with  me  when 
they  came  to  the  coat  room  to  check  their  things.  I 
remember  one  day  when  conversing  with  one  of  these 
gentlemen,  he  asked,  all  of  a  sudden:  "  Say,  Hughes, 
have  you  a  brother?"  I  answered:  "Yes,  I  had 
two,  but  I  think  they  are  dead.  I  was  sold  from  them 
when  a  mere  lad."  "Well,"  said  he,  "if  you  have  a 
brother  he  is  in  Cleveland.  There  is  a  fellow  there 
who  is  chief  cook  at  the  Forest  City  Hotel  who  looks 
just  like  you."  I  grew  eager  at  these  words,  and  put 
the  same  question  to  him  that  I  did  to  the  man  on  the 
steamer  when  I  was  sailing:  "  Has  he  one  fore-finger 
cut  off?"     He  laughed  and  answered:     "  Well,  I  don't 


202  THIRTY  YEARS  A  SLAVE. 

know,  Hughes,  about  that;  but  I  do  know  this:  His 
name  is  Billy  and  he  resembles  you  very  much.  I'll 
tell  you  what  I'll  do,  when  I  go  back  to  Cleveland  on 
my  next  trip  I'll  look  and  see  if  that  fore-finger  is  off." 
Now  that  the  second  person  had  called  my  attention 
to  the  fact  that  there  was  a  man  in  Cleveland  who 
looked  very  much  like  me,  I  became  deeply  interested 
— in  fact,  I  was  so  excited  I  could  hardly  do  my  work. 
I  awaited  the  agents  return  with  what  of  patience  I 
could  command;  and,  at  last,  one  day,  when  I  was 
least  expecting-  him,  I  was  greeted  with  these  words: 
"  Hello,  Hughes!  I  have  good  news  for  you."  I  grew 
so  excited  I  could  hardly  stand-  still.  "  Well,"  he 
said,  "you  told  me  that  you  had  a  brother  whose 
name  was  William,  but  called  Billy  for  short? " 
"Yes,"  I  said.  "Did  your  brother  Billy-  have  his 
fore-finger  chopped  off  by  his  brother  Louis,  when,  as 
boys,  they  were  one  day  playing  together?  "  "  Yes," 
I  replied.  "Then  I  have  found  your  brother,"  he 
said.  "I  have  seen  the  man  in  Cleveland,  and  he  cor- 
roborates your  story  in  every  particular.  He  says 
that  he  was  born  in  Virginia,  near  Charlottesville, 
and  was  owned  by  one  John  Martin."  I  knew  now, 
beyond   question,   that  this   was  my  brother  William- 


FREEDOM  AFTER  SLAVERY.         203 

Words  failed  me  to  express  my  feelings  at  this  news. 
The  prospect  of  seeing-  my  brother,  lost  so  many  years 
before,  made  me  almost  wild  with  joy.  I  thanked  the 
agent  for  the  interest  he  had  taken  in  me,  and  for  the 
invaluable  and  comprehensive  information  he  had 
brought.  He  could  hardly  have  done  me  a  greater 
favor,  or  bound  me  to  him  by  a  more  lasting  obliga- 
tion. 

My  first  step  was  to  arrange  for  a  leave  of  absence 
from  my  work,  which  I  found  no  difficulty  in  accom- 
plishing, and  by  night  I  was  aboard  the  express  going 
to  Cleveland.  My  excitement  did  not  diminish  as  I 
sped  on  my  journe}',  and  the  speed  of  the  express  was 
too  slow  for  my  eager  anticipations.  Upon  reaching 
Cleveland  I  went  directly  to  the  hotel  where  I  was 
told  my  brother  was  employed,  and  inquired  at  the 
office  for  Billy  Hughes.  A  bell  boy  was  summoned  to 
take  me  around  to  the  department  where  he  was. 
When  we  met  neither  of  us  spoke  for  some  moments — 
speech  is  not  for  such  occasions,  but  silence  rather, 
and  the  rush  of  thoughts.  When  the  first  flash  of 
feeling  had  passed  I  spoke,  calling  him  b}T  name,  and 
he  addressed  me  as  brother.  There  seemed  to  be  no 
doubt    on    either    side    as    to    our    true  relationship, 


204  THIRTY  YEARS  A  SLAVE. 

though  the  features  of  each  had  long-  since  faded  for- 
ever from  the  memory  of  the  other.  He  took  me  to 
his  house;  and  each  of  us  related  his  story  with  such 
feeling's  as  few  can  fully  appreciate.  He  told  me  that 
he  had  never  heard  anything  of  our  mother  or  brother. 
He  went  back  to  the  old  home  in  Virginia,  after  the 
close  of  the  rebellion,  but  could  get  no  trace  of  her. 

As  we  related  our  varied  experiences — the  hard- 
ships, the  wrongs  and  sorrows  which  we  endured  and 
at  last  the  coming  of  brighter  daj's,  we  were  sad, 
then  happy.  It  seemed,  and  indeed  was,  wonderful 
that  we  should  have  met  again  after  so  long  a  sepa- 
ration. The  time  allotted  to  my  visit  with  him  passed 
most  pleasantly,  and  all  too  quickly;  and,  as  I  looked 
into  the  faces  of  his  wife  and  children,  I  seemed  to 
have  entered  a  new  and  broader  life,  and  one  in  which 
the  joys  of  social  intercourse  had  marvelously  ex- 
panded. When  I  came  to  saying  good-bye  to  him,  so 
close  did  I  feel  to  him,  the  tie  between  us  seemed 
never  to  have  been  broken.  That  week,  so  full  of  new 
experiences  and  emotions  can  never  be  erased  from 
my  memory .  After  many  promises  of  the  maintenance 
of  the  social  relations  thus  renewed,  we  parted,  to 
take  up  again  the  burdens  of  life,  but  with  new 
inspiration  and  deeper  feeling. 


FREEDOM  AFTER  SLAVERY.         205 

I  came  back  to  m}-  work  with  renewed  vigor,  and 
I  could  not  but  rejoice  and  give  praise  to. God  for  the 
blessings  that  I  had  experienced  in  the  years  since  my 
bondage,  and  especially  for  this  partial  restoration  of 
the  broken  tie  of  kindred.  I  had  long  since  learned 
to  love  Christ,  and  my  faith  in  him  was  so  firmly  es- 
tablished that  I  gave  him  praise  for  each  and  every 
ray  of  happiness  that  came  into  my  life. 

GROWTH    OF   THE    LAUNDRY    BUSINESS. 

I  continued  the  laundry  work,  in  connection  with 
that  at  the  hotel,  until  1874.  I  had  been  in  the 
Plankinton  House  then  six  years  and  a  half.  The 
laundry  business  had  increased  to  such  an  extent  that 
my  wife  could  not  manage  it  all  alone.  I,  therefore, 
gave  up  my  position  at  the  hotel,  and  went  into  the 
laundry  work  on  a  somewhat  larger  scale  than  that 
upon  which  we  had  been  conducting  it.  We  were  still 
doing  business  at  216  Grand  avenue,  and  there  we  re- 
mained until  1876;  when  we  removed  to  more  com- 
modious quarters  at  713  on  the  avenue.  But  we  re- 
mained there  only  a  few  months,  when  we  removed  to 
134  Fourth  street  in  the  rear.  The  establishment 
here  was  fitted  up  with  all  modern  appliances;  but  I 
was    not  so  successful    as    I   anticipated.     My    losses 


206  THIRTY  YEARS  A  SLAV 

were  heavy;  and  though  the  facilities  for  doing-  the 
work  were  much  better  than  those  which  we  had  be- 
fore possessed,  the  location  was  not  so  accessible  or 
inviting-.  We,  therefore,  went  back  to  our  former 
location  at  713  on  the  avenue. 

EMPLOYED     AS    A    NURSE. 

Not  long  after  this,  Dr.  Douglas,  a  prominent 
physician  of  the  cit}-  at  that  time,  was  in  failing 
health,  and,  wishing  a  nurse,  I  was  recommended  to 
him  for  this  service  by  a  friend.  I  served  the  doctor 
in  this  capacity  every  night  for  three  months.  I  then 
went  with  him  to  McComb,  a  village  in  southern 
Mississippi,  which  had  been,  in  the  da}Ts  of  slavery,  a 
somewhat  famous  resort,  but  which  had  lost  its  pres- 
tige, and  entered  upon  a  general  decline;  the  hotel 
and  all  its  surroundings  presenting  the  appearance  of 
general  dilapidation.  I  remained  here  with  the 
doctor  for  two  weeks — until  the}T  succeeded  in  getting 
another  person  to  care  for  him.  I  then  took  a  run 
down  to  New  Orleans. 

A    TRIP    SOUTH. 

On  this  southern  trip  I  had  the  opportunit}'  of  ob- 
serving the  condition  of  the  country  through  which 
we  passed.     Many  of  the  farms  seemed  neglected,  the 


FREEDOM  AFTER  SLAVERY.         207 

houses  dilapidated,  or  abandoned,  the  fields  either  un- 
cultivated and  overgrown  with  bushes,  or  the  crops 
struggling"  with  grass  and  weeds  for  the  mastery,  and 
presenting  but  little  promise  of  a  paying  harvest  In 
some  places  the  bushes  and  other  undergrowth  were 
fifteen  feet  high,  and  the  landscape  was  peculiar  and 
by  no  means  inviting.  I  could  remember  the  appear- 
ance of  the  cotton  farms  in  slavery  days;  but  how 
changed  were  things  I  now  saw!  They  did  not  look 
at  all  like  those  which  I  had  been  accustomed  to  see. 
Everything  was  dismal  and  uninviting.  The  entire 
country  passed  through  in  Mississippi  looked  like  a 
wilderness.  This  deterioration  was  the  natural 
result  of  the  devastating  war  which  had  swept  the 
country,  and  to  the  industrial  revolution  which  fol- 
lowed and  to  which  affairs  had  not  been  adjusted. 

When  I  arrived  at  New  Orleans  I  found  the  levee 
filled  with  fruit.  Oranges  and  bananas  were  piled  in 
masses  like  coal,  and  the  scenes  in  this  portion  of  the 
city  were  very  different  from  anything  one  sees  in  the 
north.  Among  the  many  places  of  interest  in  the 
city  were  the  cemeteries.  Owing  to  the  low  level  of 
the  ground  and  its  saturation  with  water,  burials  are 
seldom  made  in  graves,  but  instead  in  tombs  built  of 


208  THIRTY  YEARS  A  SLAVE. 

brick  or  marble  or  other  stone,  in  which  are  con- 
structed cells  running-  back  from  the  front  and  of  a 
size  and  shape  sufficient  to  admit  a  coffin.  Then,  as 
soon  as  filled,  they  are  sealed  up.  These  tombs  con- 
tain from  two  to  six  or  eight,  or  even  more  of  these 
cells,  and  their  general  appearance  from  the  front  is 
not  unlike  that  of  a  section  of  mail  boxes  in  a  post 
office.  Other  places  of  interest  were  the  old  French 
market,  the  public  squares  and  gardens,  the  old 
Catholic  churches,  and  some  of  the  relics  of  slavery 
da}rs  in  the  shape  of  pens  where  slaves  were  exposed 
for  sale.  One  of  these  was  in  the  basement  of  the 
Hotel  Royal,  which  would  contain  several  hundred  at 
once,  and  from  which  hundreds  went  to  a  bondage 
bitterer  than  death,  and  from  which  death  was  the 
only  relief. 

I    MAKE    NURSING    MY    REGULAR    BUSINESS. 

I  came  back  to  Milwaukee  with  a  new  idea.  I 
liked  nursing — it  was  my  choice  from  childhood. 
Even  though  I  had  been  deprived  of  a  course  of  train- 
ing, I  felt  that  I  was  not  too  old  to  try,  at  least,  to 
learn  the  art,  or  to  add  to  what  I  already  knew.  Dr. 
Douglas  gave  me  a  splendid  recommendation,  and  had 
some   cards  printed,  bearing    my  name  and    address. 


FREEDOM  AFTER  SLAVERY.         209 

These  I  distributed,  and  thus  began  the  business  which 
I  have  followed  steadily  since  that  time.  Dr.  Marks 
ver}T  kindly  recommended  me  to  well  known  men 
needing-  the  service  of  a  nurse,  and  to  his  professional 
associates;  and  through  this  means,  and  through  his 
continued  kindness  and  interest,  I  have  been  almost 
constantly  engaged  in  this  work.  I  am  also  indebted 
to  Drs.  Fox  and  Spearman  and  other  prominent  physic- 
ians for  recommendations  which  have  resulted  in  secur- 
ing me  employment  which  has  proved  remunerative  to 
me,  and  which  seemed  to  give  entire  satisfaction  to  the 
sick  and  their  friends.  This  is  no  small  part  of  the 
compensation  in  the  difficult,  often  wearing,  and 
always  delicate  duties  of  the  nurse  in  the  sick  room. 
To  every  true  man  or  woman  it  is  one  of  the  greatest 
satisfactions  to  have  the  consciousness  of  having  been 
useful  to  his  fellow  beings.  My  duties  as  nurse  have 
taken  me  to  different  parts  of  the  state,  to  Chicago, 
to  California  and  to  Florida;  and  I  have  thus  gained 
no  little  experience,  not  only  in  my  business,  but.  in 
many  other  directions. 

I  have  endeavored,  in  the  foregoing  sketch,  to  give 
a  clear  and  correct  idea  of  the  institution  of  human 
slavery,  as  I  witnessed  and  experienced  it — its  brutal- 


210  THIRTY  YEARS  A  SLAVE. 

ity,  its  degrading-  influence  upon  both  master  and 
slave,  and  its  utter  incompatibility  with  industrial 
improvement  and  general  educational  progress. 
Nothing  has  been  exagerated  or  set  down  in  malice, 
although  in  the  scars  which  I  still  bear  upon  my 
person,  and  in  the  wounds  of  spirit  which  will  never 
wholly  heal,  there  might  be  found  a  seeming  excuse 
for  such  a  course.  Whatever  of  kindness  was  shown 
me  during  the  years  of  my  bondage,  I  still  gratefully 
remember,  whether  it  came  from  white  master  or  fel- 
low slave;  and  for  the  recognition  which  has  been  so 
generously  accorded  me  since  the  badge  of  servitude 
was  removed,  I  am  profoundly  and  devoutly  thankful. 


THEc<^END. 


".  * 


